Politics
Former Republican Lawmaker ‘Seriously Considering’ Running as Democrat to Unseat Lindsey Graham
By Jake Beardslee · June 11, 2025
Joe Walsh, a former Republican congressman from Illinois and once a prominent Tea Party figure, says he is “seriously considering” running for the U.S. Senate as a Democrat in a bid to unseat Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.
In an interview with Politico, Walsh confirmed he registered as a Democrat last week, although he still calls himself a “conservative.” He did not hold back in his criticism of Graham, stating, “I am seriously considering moving to South Carolina and challenging Lindsey Graham next year, because he’s a piece of s—-. He’s everything that is wrong about our politics, and he’s the worst, most pathetic Trump enabler.”
Walsh has long voiced disapproval of Donald Trump and his influence over the Republican Party. In 2019, he told CNN, “There are so many Republicans in the House and the Senate who have sold their soul to [Donald Trump]. Lindsey is just one of them.”
He also told Politico that Democrats need to rethink their strategy, saying they must take an “asymmetrical approach” and “f——— wake up and begin to do different things.”
Walsh recently criticized Trump’s federal deployment of military forces to Los Angeles, describing it as a “dishonest farce designed to justify authoritarianism.” He added, “Let’s get something straight from the top: there is no national emergency in Los Angeles. The crisis is invented. Manufactured. Just like the ‘trade crisis.’ And it’s being used once again by Donald Trump to divide, to incite, and to expand his power.”
Should Walsh decide to enter the race, he would face at least one primary opponent. Dr. Annie Andrews, a South Carolina pediatrician, has already launched her campaign and has spoken out against Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s anti-vaccine rhetoric.
Graham’s seat is seen as a stronghold for Republicans and has been held by the party for over 50 years. His most recent challenger, Democrat Jaime Harrison, raised nearly $200 million in a high-profile 2020 race but ultimately lost by 10 percentage points, according to Politico.