What started during an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press" will likely come to fruition on Monday when U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham is expected to formally announce his 2016 candidacy for president of the United States.
The South Carolina Republican announced earlier this month that he will announce what he's "going to do about running for president" on June 1 in his hometown of Central. The announcement will be at 10:30 a.m. at 217 West Main St.
Late last year, rumors began circulating that Graham may throw his name in the hat as a candidate. On Jan. 18, he was interviewed by Chuck Todd on "Meet the Press," and said he was setting up a "testing-the-waters committee" under the IRS code that would allow him to look beyond South Carolina to see if there was a viable path for him to make a run.
Two weeks later, on Jan. 28, Graham gave the committee an identity. His Security Through Strength committee funded his travels around the country to gauge support for a potential presidential run.
Then, on May 18, Graham told reporters on "CBS This Morning" that he's running because he thinks the world is "falling apart."
Graham said it's not the fault of others or their lack of "this or that" leading him to want to run. Rather, it's what he feels he can bring to the table.
"It's my ability in my own mind to be a good commander-in-chief and to make Washington work," Graham said. "The reason I had six primary opponents in my last election is that I've been accused of working with Democrats too much. In my view, Democrats and Republicans work together too little, and I would try to change that if I got to be president."
Graham was elected to the Senate in 2002 and re-elected in 2008. Previously, he was elected to the U.S. House in 1994 as the first Republican from the Third Congressional District of South Carolina since 1877. He served in the House until he was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002.
Derrek Asberry is the SRS beat reporter for the Aiken Standard.