Lindsey Graham’s Opponent Brought His Own Plexiglass Screen To Protect Himself At A Debate

Coronavirus remains the biggest topic of discussion in the United States and the world at large, amplified by Donald Trump’s positive coronavirus diagnosis and subsequent hospitalization on Friday. Trump’s medical status seems to be uncertain, as is the status of many who interacted with Trump and the White House over the last week.

That’s made a lot of other people take their own precautions as the uncertainty remains, including the Democratic challenger for Lindsey Graham’s senate seat in South Carolina. Graham is in a tough race against Jamie Harrison, who has seen a huge fundraising boom after the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Graham has led the charge to replace her Supreme Court seat before the November election, a reversal of his stance on a similar situation four years ago.

The attention and fundraising has made Graham basically beg for money for his own campaign, as his lead has shrunk in recent weeks. That put a lot of attention on a debate between Graham and Harrison, and on Saturday the latter showed up with his own extreme version of personal protective equipment: a huge plexiglass shield put between himself and Graham to prevent the potential spread of coronavirus.

Graham, of course, has not tested positive in the days since Trump’s diagnosis but Harrison wasn’t taking any chances, and he explained why during the debate itself.

“Tonight I am taking this seriously,” Harrison said, explaining that the virus has impacted himself and his family this year. “That’s why I put this plexiglass up. Because it’s not just about me — it’s about the people in my life that I have to take care of as well. My two boys, my wife, my grandmother.”

Graham said late last week that he tested negative, but the CDC recommends people exposed to the virus self-quarantine for 14 days to prevent a potential asymptomatic spread to others. Graham is clearly not doing that, and so his opponent for his hotly-contested Senate seat certainly did everything he could to keep his distance on Saturday.