Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Thursday he thinks outgoing Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) could challenge President Obama in the 2012 primaries.



Graham said Feingold, a reliably liberal senator who lost his bid for reelection this fall, could look to unseat Obama in the Democratic primaries.



"I like Russ, and he may run against Obama in 2012," he said on conservative talker Laura Ingraham's radio show.



Feingold's office has said he has "no interest" in challenging Obama in two years, a statement that makes a primary challenge to a sitting president of the same party seem like a distant reality.

“Senator Feingold is not running for President in 2012. Any suggestion he is thinking of running, planning to run, or interested in running is untrue," said Feingold's chief of staff, Mary Irvine. "Senator Feingold is a strong supporter of President Barack Obama and wants to see him reelected in 2012.”



Any primary challenge to Obama would likely come from the president's left. Groups like MoveOn.Org and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) have been critical of Obama's compromises on issues like taxes and health reform.



Feingold enjoys good credit from liberals and even from his onetime campaign finance reform partner, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who paid tribute to the outgoing Wisconsin Democrat in a speech on the Senate floor earlier this week.

Updated 8:26 p.m.

