At a news conference to announce an
alliance against South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the
candidates described Graham as “ambiguously gay.”
Four of Graham's challengers in June's
Republican primary gathered to announce that they were united against
Graham, pledging to support each other through the general election.
“It's about time that South Carolina
[says] 'Hey, we're tired of the ambiguously gay senator from South
Carolina,'” Dave Feliciano of Spartanburg said from the podium.
“We're ready for a new leader to merge the Republican Party. We're
done with this. This is what it's about, all of us coming together
and saying, 'One way or the other, one of us is going to be on that
ballot in November.'”
The
State described Feliciano as a former police officer with no
political experience and the “most minor of the candidates.”
Six candidates have jumped into the
race against Graham, a staunch opponent of gay rights who has
previously battled rumors about his sexual orientation.
(Related: Senator
Lindsey Graham: “I ain't gay.”)