Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on Friday balked at being asked to take a pre-debate COVID-19 test by Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison — triggering a Twitter war of words that sparked an abrupt change in the debate format.
Graham, first elected in 2002, has been in a virtual tie in the polls with first-time candidate Harrison for several months, Mediaite noted.
And the last matchup between the pair drew attention for the plexiglass barrier that the Harrison campaign set up for their candidate following a week in which President Donald Trump, people on his campaign and White House staff and several Republican Senators — including some with whom Graham was in contact — became infected with COVID-19.
On Thursday, Harrison tweeted that he was “excited for tomorrow’s debate” with Graham, “but we need real leadership in this pandemic.”
Harrison then said he and the debate moderators had agreed to be tested for the coronavirus before the debate, and called for Graham to “do the same.”
Graham furiously responded in an tweetstorm, charging that Harrison was “ducking” the debate and “demanding special treatment.”
“Why won’t you take the test, Lindsey?” Harrison shot back.
The Post and Courier reported Friday the debate as planned had been cancelled and was being replaced by individual interviews.
Harrison reacted to the format change Friday afternoon, thanking the debate hosts for “accommodating Senator Graham’s refusal to take a Covid test, and changing the debate format to keep everyone safe.”
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