Lindsey Graham's Surprising Manchin Defense

By Julie Sobel  //  October 10, 2012 | 5:39 p.m.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., made a curious choice when his PAC ventured into the West Virginia Senate race Tuesday with a 6-figure ad buy. And Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., made an even more surprising choice when he joined a conference call to defend Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., against the attack.

Graham is up for reelection in 2014 -- and is frequently cited as one of the Republicans most vulnerable to a primary challenge from the right. His defense of a Democratic colleague in the face of a tea party hero's attack won't likely be forgotten, particularly as one of the knocks on him is his embrace of bipartisanship.

Paul's PAC, RAND PAC, announced substantial ad buys targeting both Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., and Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., Tuesday -- and followed up Wednesday with an ad buy targeting Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio.

The ads targeted Manchin for his opposition to Paul's failed September amendment to block aid to Egypt, Libya, and Pakistan. Manchin said on the call that what's wrong with Washington is colleagues going out and campaigning against each other. "I'm sorry that my colleague Senator Rand Paul felt that he needed to get involved and has gotten involved," he said.

Grahama immediately issued the disclaimer that he was calling in from North Carolina, where he was campaigning for Romney. "I very much would like to have a Republican president, and I'd very much like to have a Republican-controlled Senate, but when it comes to foreign policy and matters of war and national security, I really do try to be bipartisan and I respect Joe a lot," said Graham.

He went on to defend Manchin's position on the amendment -- a position which 80 other senators, including Graham, also took. "I can tell you this, Joe," said Graham on the call. "You can't get 80 senators in this environment to agree that Sunday should be a day off." But among the small group who voted for Paul's amendment were tea party stars Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Jim DeMint, R-S.C. The Club for Growth has already identified Graham as a potential 2014 target. Meanwhile, Manchin makes an odd target for Paul: He is one of the most conservative Democrats in the Senate, but more importantly, he is popular and appears to be in excellent shape to win his reelection campaign. Rand PAC spokesperson Jesse Benton said they have data that shows the West Virginia race tightening and think the ad "could be a game changer."

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