Are reports of the death of a viable challenge to Lindsey Graham grossly exaggerated?

legalinsurrection.com ^ | 4/23/14 | William Jacobson

[cotton1706]

There hasn’t been a lot of polling in the South Carolina Republican Senate primary, but what polling there is shows Lindsay Graham ahead by 30%+ against potential challengers.

But it may still be a challenge for Graham to get the 50% he needs in the primary to avoid a runoff, and generating a runoff in which all the anti-Graham vote could coalesce, has been the strategy all along.

Politico has essentially called challenges to Graham dead on arrival, How Lindsey Graham outmaneuvered the tea party:

Sen. Lindsey Graham recognized the threat years before it had a chance to form — and knew immediately what he had to do….

Graham’s deft maneuvering shows why he’s become the dominant political figure in this deeply red state and is skating to another six years even as he’s angered the base on immigration and other hot-button issues. Far from pandering to the party’s tea party wing in order to get reelected, he’s challenging it head-on: Graham warns that the GOP is caught in a “death spiral” with minorities, says it needs to get real about climate change and defends his move to open debate on gun control legislation after a school massacre.

snip

Is it really over before it really has begun?

I long ago ceased trying to predict South Carolina politics. But it seems to me that the world could change quickly if Graham gets into a runoff.

[amnestynone]

Read my tag line.

[Robert A Cook PE]

He is splitting the opposite into 4, 5, 6 or 7 groups behind 6 different challengers. Then, all he needs is a confused electorate and a few newspapers ...

That’s the 50.1 percent required.

“A Tea Party primary” would have been able to focus the opposition into a single name and idea that would beat him.

[bigbob]

The stupid tea party and others opposing him will split the vote so badly he’ll win re-election, if that’s what you’re asking

[Resettozero]

...he’s become the dominant political figure in this deeply red state...

Red means Republican, not Communist, right? Then the writer is wrong. S.C. is just one of many States where the Repubs and Dems have woven themselves into a tapestry some call the Uni-Party. S.C. is a State where there are many Constitutional conservatives who are still being thwarted by the now-you-see-me-now-you-don't Uniparty headquartered in Columbia with tentacles everywhere.

Try this hat on for size: The re-election of Graham in 2008 was an unintended consequence of too many S.C. conservatives pulling the straight-party ballot because of Sarah Palin. Yeah, that's it! Lindsey in 2008 was Sarah's fault!

[SwankyC]

Of course, they could do nothing and that’ll guarantee his reelection, if that’s what you’re proposing.

[TXnMA]

SC SITREP...