Ravenel is legitimate as an opponent. He nearly knocked off DeMint to get into the Republican Senatorial run off against Beasley last year. I voted for him thinking he would be a better candidate then either DeMint or Beasley. DeMint beat Beasley and then went on the face Rat Inez Tennenbaum.
Of course DeMint won and has turned out to be an A+ Senator so far. However, the race at times got scary as DeMint made some gaffes that Ravenel most likely would not have. He's charming, smooth, and could easily beat Graham.