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Salon
Salon
Politics
Meaghan Ellis

Carlson: "Make fun of Lindsey Graham"

Committee chairman U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) (Stefani Reynolds - Pool/Getty Images)

Fox News' Tucker Carlson has a public service announcement for Republican candidates running for election during the November midterms.

According to Carlson, candidates shouldn't be like Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., whom he has openly criticized numerous times as an out-of-touch lawmaker who is not a good fit for the Republican Party.

During Friday night's edition of "Tucker Carlson Tonight," the conservative primetime host weighed in with his assessment of the recent special elections results in swing states.

The latest results appear to suggest Republicans may fare well in the November midterm elections. History has shown that the party controlling the White House typically doesn't have the best midterm election outcome.

Based on President Joe Biden's current approval rating, many political pundits believe Republicans could have a favorable outcome.

"In a special election last week in New York's 19th Congressional District, Democrat Pat Ryan beat Republican Marc Molinaro," the host said. "Now, in a red wave year, you would've thought the opposite would happen. And this was a very tight district. This district went to Joe Biden by a point and a half in the last election."

Carlson went on to highlight a number of races where Democratic candidates managed to perform better than Biden's approval ratings in those districts. According to Carlson, it may suggest that: "There's evidence that the Republican Party may be at fault by alienating its own voters and not getting them to the polls," Carlson continued.

He also recalled Molinaro, who serves as a county executive in the state of New York, calling for a county government building to be lit in Ukrainian colors as a show of support for Ukraine amid the Russian invasion, an incentive Carlson mocked as "a joke."

"They're Ukraine's colors," Carlson explained. "Right, as if his voters care. That's the message that Molinaro, as executive director of Duchess County, New York sent to voters."

He also said, "This same candidate also sent fundraising e-mails to voters in upstate New York calling for more aggression against Russia. 'Biden is weak on Putin!' Molinaro wrote. Right. So, does sounding like Lindsey Graham actually work?"

Then the segment shifted to a clip of Graham encouraging the U.S. to aid Ukraine in its efforts to fight back against Russia. Sharing his reaction to the clip, he offered Republican candidates a word of advice as he encouraged them to disavow Graham.

"Ok, so just to be clear to Republican candidates," Carlson reacted. "That was Lindsey Graham. Your job is to make fun of Lindsey Graham and to disavow Lindsey Graham. Your job is not to emulate Lindsey Graham and steal his talking points. And if you do emulate Lindsey Graham and steal his talking points, you will lose. And the losing candidates did just that."

Carlson also insisted that voters are more concerned about issues on American soil such as immigration, upticks in crime and border control.

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