Meet Jaime Harrison, the Democrat Who is Running Against Republican Lindsey Graham in South Carolina

There's a battle going down in South Carolina for one of its Senate seats. Currently held by Republican Lindsay Graham, the Senate seat is being threatened by Democrat and former Washington lobbyist Jaime Harrison. If elected, he'd make history as the first Black Democrat to take Senate in the deep South. Presently, Senator Tim Scott is the only Black Republican in the Senate, and Harrison winning would make South Carolina the first state to have simultaneously elected two Black senators.

Rising from humble beginnings, 44-year-old Jaime Harrison overcame the barriers of poverty to graduate from Yale University and Georgetown Law. Earning a scholarship provided him the opportunity to pursue higher education. Raised by his grandparents and having lived in a mobile home in Orangeburg, South Carolina, he never forgot his hometown roots. He credits his success to the teachers and mentors who encouraged him throughout the challenging times in his life.

After graduating from college, Harrison returned to Orangeburg and became a teacher at his old high school. He made it his mission to inspire unprivileged youth and encourage them to attend college. Harrison served as an aide to South Carolina congressman James Clyburn and also worked for Port of Charleston and the University of South Carolina.

In 2013 he was elected as the first African American chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party, and he served until 2017. He resides in Columbia, South Carolina, with his wife Marie and their two young children.

Some of the issues Harrison is an advocate include an expansion of Medicaid, more coronavirus relief and keeping Obamacare, which is something Graham has been attempting to appeal. Although Harrison is leading in the polls, anything can happen. Everyone needs to get out and vote.

Photo Credit: The New York Times