Who Will Kick Graham's Rear End in 2014?

Liberal Lindsey Graham thinks he's smart. He represents a very conservative state, but today he voted to put an inexperienced left-wing statist on the Supreme Court just to prove what a gosh-darned genius he is. Remember this flash of brilliance from Team Graham after Graham voted for Kagan in the Senate Judiciary Committee?

"Richard Quinn, a Graham consultant, defended his client -- noting that the Senator is 'not a demagogue'. Added Quinn: 'He's a thinking person's conservative. I expect him to do well among voters with IQ's in triple digits.'"

There you have it. Lindsey is a genius, and if you disagree, it's probably because you're an idiot.

LG voted for Kagan for at least two very important reasons:

1. Graham explained that Kagan is "funny" which "goes a long way in my book."

2. "I believe the last election had consequences..."

You got that right, LG. Elections have consequences. Hope you have a very lucrative lobbyist gig lined up.

Here are some of the people who might be lining up for the job Lindsey apparently no longer really wants:

Jeff Duncan: "Duncan, a state representative, is the odds-on favorite to replace Rep. Gresham Barrett in the 3rd district this fall. (Graham held that same Upstate seat before being elected to the Senate in 2002.) That would provide a real geographic base from which to run in four years time."

Tom Davis: "Davis is a state Senator from Beaufort (in the Lowcountry). He's also a close ally of GOP gubernatorial nominee Nikki Haley. If Haley is elected governor this fall, her allies will be in the catbird's seat for offices down the line."

Katon Dawson: "The former chairman of the state Republican party would have the financial network and connections in the state to make a serious run at Graham. And, he may be looking for a next act after losing out on the Republican National Committee chairmanship in 2009."

My vote would be for Jeff Duncan.

Update:

From the comments, Matthew Newman has other great suggestions:

Ideas of people to take down Lindsey Graham:

Tim Scott - Congressional candidate from South Carolina's 1st Congressional district. 44 year old, black, member of the SC House of Delegates. With 4 years in Congress, Scott could be an attractive candidate in 2014.

Jenny Sanford - Former first lady of South Carolina, successful investment banker prior to her marriage to her ex-husband and she ran his successful campaigns for Governor. If she wanted to, she could mount a strong campaign for US Senate.

Curtis Loftis - The man who is about to become State Treasurer of South Carolina. He won the primary by defeating the incumbent and is unopposed in the general. He was a small business owner, ran the Saluda Charitable Foundation, and was the Director of the Office on Aging.