Graham says Rubio is 'so afraid of the right.' Graham: Rubio 'not quite ready'

Sen. Lindsey Graham is criticizing Sen. Marco Rubio, saying the Florida Republican is “not quite ready” to become president.

Graham told The Weekly Standard in a story published Friday that Rubio’s move to distance himself from the Senate immigration bill they worked on together has given him second thoughts about the possible GOP presidential contender.


“He’s a good guy, but after doing immigration with him — we don’t need another young guy not quite ready,” Graham, a South Carolina Republican, said about Rubio. “He’s no [President Barack] Obama by any means, but he’s so afraid of the right, and I’ve let that go.”

Graham and Rubio made up half of the Republican contingent on the so-called Gang of Eight, the bipartisan Senate delegation that drafted the Senate immigration bill. That legislation passed the Senate last June but has stalled in the House.

After Obama’s dominating performance among Hispanic voters in his successful 2012 reelection bid, many Republicans like Graham and Rubio encouraged the party to push for comprehensive immigration reform. But with House Republicans and major conservative organizations like The Heritage Foundation souring on the bill and comprehensive reform, Rubio has increasingly spoken out against the bill and has instead pushed for more piecemeal reforms. The senator has said he is considering a potential bid for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.

Graham, a hawkish Republican who has been harshly critical of the Obama administration’s foreign policy, also said that he would begin to consider a presidential bid if he wins reelection in November.

“If I get through my general election, if nobody steps up in the presidential mix, if nobody’s out there talking — me and [Arizona Republican Sen. John] McCain have been talking — I may just jump in to get to make these arguments,” he said.

McCain said that he “strongly encouraged” Graham — one of his closest allies in the Senate — to consider a presidential campaign.

In response to the report, Democratic National Committee national press secretary Michael Czin weighed in: “It’s nice to see that we can still have bipartisan agreement in Washington.”