NASHVILLE (AP) — Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina rallied support Sunday in Tennessee for Rep. Marsha Blackburn's Senate bid, saying the fellow Republican "represents good old common sense."
Graham's stop in Nashville was part of a midterm campaign trail tour that includes a dozen states.
Graham vehemently defended Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his Senate Judiciary committee confirmation hearings last month. On Sunday, Graham ridiculed Democrats' attempts to oust Kavanaugh, saying their efforts represented the "will of the mob," not the American people.
"There's only one way to fix this problem, only one way," Graham said. "Beat them at the ballot box."
Blackburn faces Democratic former Gov. Phil Bredesen on Nov. 6.
Bredesen campaign spokeswoman Alyssa Hansen said in a statement Blackburn's "continued reliance on her Washington friends to prop up her failing campaign shows that she is more focused on D.C., rather than on the voters at home in Tennessee.
"Tennesseans are independent thinkers who can make up their own minds and don't need to be told what to do by out-of-state politicians," Hansen said.
Several protesters were removed before and at the start of Blackburn's speech, including one who yelled that Blackburn did not represent the views of Tennessee women.
Before introducing Graham, Blackburn said, "As your next U.S. senator-elect, I'm going to get Supreme Court nominations and federal judges right every single time."