Senator Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said recently that he has “never been more excited about the future of the Republican Party.”
Graham said he believes the GOP will “wipe out” the Democrats in the 2022 midterms, primarily due to President Joe Biden’s low popularity.
“History tells us the party, not in the White House, usually gains about 25 seats in midterm congressional elections,” said Graham in a televised interview.
“We’re down five in the House, so we only need five to take over the House and make [Minority Leader Kevin] McCarthy speaker,” Graham said.
“So, historically, we get 25. I think we can double that. What I see on the front for Republicans is a wipeout.”
A recent poll backs up Graham’s contention, showing Biden’s approval ratings at the lowest of his presidency.
Poll aggregator FiveThirtyEight shows Biden at an average of 52.4% disapproval rating and only 43% approval rating among registered or likely voters.
According to the poll, Republicans are also up an average of 1.3 percentage points in generic 2022 ballot polling, 43.2% to Democrats’ 41.9%, amounting to the most significant margin in the election cycle.
“We got three states where Democrats are incumbents that are at risk,” said Graham when speaking of Senate elections. “Arizona, Georgia, and New Hampshire. I think we can win all three with the right candidates.”
The senator states the most important issues driving Biden’s poll numbers down are inflation, rising crime, immigration, and the debacle in Afghanistan.
Graham’s previous prediction
The 2022 midterm elections will be as impressive for Republicans as the 1994 vote, which gave the GOP unified control of Congress for the first time in more than 40 years, Graham predicted in a July 2021 interview.
“I think there’s a tidal wave brewing,” said Senator Graham. “I think this is going to be 1994 all over again. When you look at rampant inflation, out-of-control crime, and a broken border and just [a] general lack of knowing what you’re doing, lack of competency…the Republican Party’s going to have a great comeback if we recruit the right people.”
In the 1994 midterm, Republicans netted 54 House seats to gain the majority for the first time since 1952.
The Senate saw Republicans pick up a net of eight seats and regain control after eight years. “We got a lot of opportunity on the map in the Senate,” Graham said, adding that “we’re gonna take back the House, Sean unless we completely screw this up.”
Republicans are looking to Senate races in Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, and New Hampshire as potential opportunities to pick up seats. Additionally, Graham backed former NFL running back Herschel Walker to run against Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock in the midterms.
Walker announced his candidacy in August.
