Jaime Harrison brings Senate campaign back to hometown in final Election Day rally
Democratic Senate candidate Jaime Harrison returned to the spot the night before Election Day where he started his underdog campaign more than a year ago in his hometown of Orangeburg, asking voters to help him enact the change he often talks about on the campaign trail.
Harrison is seeking to pull off an upset over three-term Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham — who made his final pitch to South Carolina voters across the Midlands and Upstate — in a state that hasn’t elected a Democrat to a statewide seat since 2006.
His rally in Orangeburg gave him one last chance to push his message in a rural area of South Carolina where he will need Black voters to go to the polls in great numbers to support him.
“I am who I am because I grew up in Orangeburg. Orangeburg made me who I am,” Harrison said, standing on a platform in front of his large tour bus speaking to voters sitting inside more than 300 cars, while U.S. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, state Democratic Party chairman Trav Robertson, former state Rep. Bakari Sellers and other area lawmakers looked on.
“We will continue to fight everyday that America will live up to her promise that all people are created equal.”
Harrison, who has adhered to strict COVID-19 protocols, spoke as supporters, while they listened on from the Orangeburg fairgrounds, their cars illuminated by portable lights.
“I think it’s time for a change,” said 59-year-old Reggie Vaughn of Orangeburg. “You know I like his platform of the new South. We need to do some things differently than what we’ve been in the past. And like everybody, we’re kind of afraid with this health scare, ... people being without health insurance and what are they going to do?”
Headed into Tuesday, Harrison finds himself down two points according to the final Morning Consult poll of the race.
A week and a half ago, the same survey found him leading by two points.
Those close poll numbers make Maxine and Johnny Spells, of Orangeburg, nervous about Tuesday’s results, they said.
“I don’t want to wake up like I did in 2016; the next morning and (I) almost became ill,” said Maxine Spells, a retired teacher.
Regardless of Tuesday’s results, Navy veteran Johnny Spells said he is keeping a positive attitude and said Harrison already has accomplished a lot with his campaign.
“I’ve seen some things happen, but it’s a milestone because he came from a long way,” he said. “People didn’t think he had a chance. Lindsey Graham has been in this thing for 25-plus years, and nobody even thought that anybody would even come close to beating him. He got comfortable because he just thought that he had this job for life.”
This story was originally published November 2, 2020 at 8:48 PM with the headline "Jaime Harrison brings Senate campaign back to hometown in final Election Day rally."
