--- title: Lindsey Graham: I Would Compromise If Hillary Clinton Won description: He'd give her "political cover" on other issues if she fought ISIS. canonical: https://time.com/4156265/lindsey-graham-hillary-clinton-president/ author: Sam Frizell article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-12-20T15:39:16.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:40:29.906Z article:section: Politics og:title: Graham: I Would Compromise If Clinton Won og:description: In exchange for vows to fight ISIS. og:url: https://time.com/4156265/lindsey-graham-hillary-clinton-president/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb01ff1e13438dcee/69887642a988caaf7f6b5cf3/lindsey-graham-hillary-clinton.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 594 og:image:height: 334 og:image:alt: Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina and 2016 presidential candidate, speaks at the Stafford County GOP Christmas Party during a campaign stop at Newick's Lobster House in Dover, New Hampshire, U.S., on Friday, Dec. 18, 2015. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Graham: I Would Compromise If Clinton Won twitter:description: In exchange for vows to fight ISIS. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb01ff1e13438dcee/69887642a988caaf7f6b5cf3/lindsey-graham-hillary-clinton.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Lindsey Graham: I Would Compromise if Clinton Won > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=423085fa-2c44-4ad9-ab58-39015b80f5db&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: The Third Democratic Debate, In Under Two Minutes [Watch (HLS stream): The Third Democratic Debate, In Under Two Minutes](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/lTPNqlFm.m3u8) (1:54)  _Published 2015-12-20. Here are the highlights from the final Democratic debate of 2015._ by [Sam Frizell / Londonderry, N.H.](https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell / Londonderry, N.H. Dec 20, 2015 3:39 PM UTC by [Sam Frizell / Londonderry, N.H.](https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell / Londonderry, N.H. Dec 20, 2015 3:39 PM UTC Sen. Lindsey Graham would work with Hillary Clinton on a range of issues if she became president in exchange for concessions on fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. The South Carolina Senator, who is trailing in polls of the Republican presidential field, told TIME after a town hall meeting in Londonderry, N.H., that he would give a hypothetical President Clinton “political cover” on other issues if she fought ISIS. “If she’s willing to be more robust in terms of destroying ISIL, I’d give her political cover,” Graham said. “If she wanted to be more muscular in her foreign policy, I would try to help her.” Graham said he could imagine a relationship with Clinton similar to the one between Tip O’Neill, the Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives, and President Reagan, who worked together on legislation. He said he would help Clinton on immigration, budget reform and defeating ISIS. “Would she do something like Simpson-Bowles?” Graham said, referring to a bipartisan plan commissioned by the Obama Administration to reduce the federal deficit. “If she would be willing to do it, I’d be willing to play the part of, me and my colleagues, being Tip O’Neill.” “If she’s willing to fix immigration, I’m willing to help her,” Graham continued. That said, Graham was clear that he opposes Clinton’s bid for president. “I don’t want her to be president. I’ll do everything I can to beat her,” Graham said. But, he added, “if she’s president, I will work with her.” **Read More:** [_Graham Blasts Trump and Cruz Over Immigration Rhetoric_](http://time.com/4134622/lindsey-graham-immigration-rhetoric/) Graham’s comments were unusual for a presidential candidate, particularly in the 2016 cycle. Clinton has served as a kind of punching bag for the entire field of Republican presidential candidates, from Donald Trump to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Sen. Marco Rubio and Sen. Ted Cruz. Graham’s emphatic support for bipartisan compromise is an exception to much of the tone this year, from both the Democrats and the Republicans. Graham is one of the most vocal hawks in the Senate as well as the GOP field. He has called repeatedly for 10,000 ground troops to defeat ISIS, citing his time in the Air Force and his experience on the Senate committee on Armed Services among his national security credentials. “If you withdraw from the world, they’re coming here,” Graham said during the town hall of fighting ISIS. Although he is a notable player in the Senate on foreign policy, Graham is polling at around just 1% nationally among Republicans, overshadowed by less compromising candidates like Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and real estate mogul Donald Trump. As Senator, Graham was one of the so-called “Gang of Eight” that drafted bipartisan legislation to overhaul the immigration system. “My biggest complaint is I work with Democrats. My biggest asset is that I work with Democrats,” Graham said during the town hall. **Read Next:** [_Lindsey Graham Turns The Princess Bride Into Debate Point_](http://time.com/4150787/republican-debate-princess-bride/) ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] Does secretary Clinton deserve an apology tonight? Yes, I apologize. We should move on because I don't think the American people are all that interested in this. [ MUSIC ] We're listening to the bickering back and forth. Maybe that's normal politics in Washington, but that is not the politics of higher purpose the people expect from our party. [ MUSIC ] And excuse me, no. Governor, now to be able to abide by the rules here, we'll call on you shortly. But I do wanna pick up on something. Actually passed, Comprehensive guns, safety legislation with a ban on combat assault weapons David. [ MUSIC ] They want American soldiers on the ground fighting them. [ MUSIC ] Giving them many more targets, and giving them a great recruiting opportunity. I believe in action, in which we put together a strong coalition of forces. [ MUSIC ] Out of pocket costs have gone up too much. And prescription drug costs have gone through the roof. The greed of wall street is destroying this economy. And it's destroying the lives of millions of Americans. This one falls under the category of " I have actually done this ". I believe that all of our kids should go into an income- based repayment plan. [ mmm ] [ MUSIC ] Must never surrender them to the fascist pleas of billionaires with big mouths. He is becoming ISIS's best recruiter. They are going to people showing videos- [ APPLAUSE ] Of Donald Trump insulting Islam and Muslims in order to recruit. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4156265/lindsey-graham-hillary-clinton-president/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4156265/lindsey-graham-hillary-clinton-president/"},"headline":"Lindsey Graham: I Would Compromise if Clinton Won","datePublished":"2015-12-20T15:39:16.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-05T08:40:29.906Z","description":"In exchange for fighting ISIS aggressively","url":"https://time.com/4156265/lindsey-graham-hillary-clinton-president/","keywords":["Lindsey Graham","Hillary Clinton","2016 Election"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb01ff1e13438dcee/69887642a988caaf7f6b5cf3/lindsey-graham-hillary-clinton.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sam Frizell / Londonderry, N.H."}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb01ff1e13438dcee/69887642a988caaf7f6b5cf3/lindsey-graham-hillary-clinton.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina and 2016 presidential candidate, speaks at the Stafford County GOP Christmas Party during a campaign stop at Newick's Lobster House in Dover, New Hampshire, U.S., on Friday, Dec. 18, 2015.","caption":"Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina and 2016 presidential candidate, speaks at the Stafford County GOP Christmas Party during a campaign stop at Newick's Lobster House in Dover, New Hampshire, U.S., on Friday, Dec. 18, 2015.","creditText":"Bloomberg—Bloomberg via Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/lindsey-graham/","name":"Lindsey Graham"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4156265/lindsey-graham-hillary-clinton-president/","name":"Lindsey Graham: I Would Compromise if Clinton Won"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"The Third Democratic Debate, In Under Two Minutes","description":"Here are the highlights from the final Democratic debate of 2015.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/lTPNqlFm/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-12-20T05:14:20.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/lTPNqlFm.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4156265/lindsey-graham-hillary-clinton-president/","duration":"PT1M54S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4156265/lindsey-graham-hillary-clinton-president/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```