Lindsey Graham autobiography sheds light on record on race

Sen. Lindsey Graham's 2015 autobiography reveals his upbringing in segregated South Carolina, including a claim he persuaded his parents to desegregate their café. Throughout his decades-long career, Graham has repeatedly denied systemic racism exists in America, including during his 2020 reelection campaign against Democrat Jaime Harrison and in a 2021 interview following Derek Chauvin's conviction in George Floyd's murder.

Graham rose to prominence with an endorsement from segregationist Strom Thurmond in 1994 and later assumed Thurmond's Senate seat in 2003. The senator's record on racial justice has drawn scrutiny from Black voters, particularly given his assertions that minorities could succeed in South Carolina if they were conservative, and his invocation of Barack Obama's presidency as evidence systemic racism had been overcome.