Send SC's Lindsey Graham to conflict? Senator knocked for hawkish stance on Iran

Lucy Valeski, The State on Mar 28, 2026

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A U.S. Senate candidate from Montana waded into South Carolina politics this week, saying on social media he would file a bill to “draft” U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham into any military conflict he supports.

“If elected, the first bill I introduce will draft Lindsey Graham into any conflict he publicly supports while in office,” Senate candidate Tom Jandron posted on X Wednesday. Jandron is running as a Libertarian in a wide open race to replace U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont.

Jandron is one of several candidates and politicians, inside and out of South Carolina, to criticize Graham’s ongoing comments on U.S. involvement in the war in Iran. Jandron’s post about Graham comes weeks after the senator from South Carolina reportedly encouraged President Donald Trump to strike Iran.

The U.S. struck Iran on Feb. 28 and killed its Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, which has led to continued conflict over the past month.

“If you don’t believe they’re trying to build a nuclear weapon, not a power plant, you shouldn’t be allowed to drive in South Carolina,” Graham told a crowd of supporters and reporters in Columbia earlier this month. “Since 1979, they’ve been wreaking havoc throughout the region, and they have American blood on their hands.”

U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., who is running for governor, slammed Graham in a series of tweets this week over comments about sending U.S. troops to Iran. Graham told reporters in Columbia he did not see ground troops being necessary to end the war.

“I want President Trump to take Lindsey Graham out of the situation room,” Mace said in a CNN interview this week.

U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a Florida Republican, called Graham’s comments about U.S. troops “unacceptable and dark” on social media earlier this week.

Challengers to Graham’s reelection campaign have also criticized his stance on involvement in the Middle East .

“He’s given bad information to Trump, and he’s promoting war, and that’s just, that’s got to stop,” Republican challenger Mark Lynch told The State last week.

Republican Paul Dans, who also has announced a campaign for U.S. Senate, has also repeatedly called Graham a “warmonger.” Annie Andrews, a Democratic candidate, criticized Graham’s support for the war in Iran after filing to appear on the ballot in Columbia last week.

“We don’t need to be spending a billion dollars a day to fight someone else’s war,” Andrews told reporters in Columbia.

On Wednesday, Graham said he would support negotiations to end the war in Iran in a post on X. He said negotiations should include Iran ending a ballistic missiles program, cutting ties with any terrorism groups and ending any efforts to obtain nuclear weapons.

“If diplomacy can achieve these objectives, I would not only support it, but I would also prefer it because war literally is hell,” Graham posted.

He also urged against a congressional war powers resolution arguing it would “destroy President Trump’s ability to end this war successfully,” in a statement through a spokesperson for his campaign.