This Republican Presidential Candidate Just Asked for ‘Caitlyn’ Jenner’s Vote

When confronted with the message that social conservatives would bolt the GOP if Republicans did not begin speaking out on cultural issues like the reality of gender, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham responded by asking Bruce “Caitlyn” Jenner to join the party and vote for him. In an interview over the weekend, CNN anchor Dana Bash quoted talk show host Steve Deace that “if we’re not going to defend as a party basic principles of male and female, that life is sacred because it comes from God, then you’re going to lose the vast majority of people who’ve joined that party.” Graham replied, “If Caitlyn Jenner wants to be safe and have a prosperous economy, vote for me.” He implied that the Republican Party would grow if it embraces transgender activism, saying, “I’m into addition.” He then corrected himself to refer to Jenner as a “she.” (Using incorrect gender pronouns has become a demand of the transgender movement, although some prefer to be referred to as “they.”) “I haven’t walked in her shoes. I don’t have all the answers to the mysteries of life. I can only imagine the torment that Bruce Jenner went through. I hope he – I hope she – has found peace,” Graham said. “If Caitlyn Jenner wants to be a Republican, she is welcome in my party.” He went on to clarify, “I believe in traditional marriage without animosity” – an attempt to contrast himself with his party’s grassroots, who presumably are brimming with “animosity.” (Story continues following video.) Although his voting record has generally supported the pro-life and pro-family cause, Lindsey Graham has repeatedly said those issues are less important to him than foreign policy, or even taxes. “The courts are gonna rule, probably in June, about traditional marriage. I will accept the Court’s decision,” he told Bash. He has said if the Supreme Court redefines marriage, the American people should simply “move forward as a society.” “I will proudly defend the unborn,” he said Sunday, “but if we can’t agree on abortion, let’s talk about taxes.” Graham then addressed Deace personally, saying that the war on terror should cause Americans to forget their divisions, because “we are all in this together.” The high profile unveiling of Bruce Jenner’s new identity has become an unlikely political issue, with the American Left seizing the viral issue to bash those who believe that people’s sex is biological and immutable. President Barack Obama tweeted that sharing his story took “courage.” The Democratic Party took advantage of Jenner’s Vanity Fair cover to tweet an attack on Mike Huckabee, sending out a video clip of Huckabee joking about the consequences of letting biological boys use the high school girls’ shower and calling the Republican Party “transphobic”:

In case you managed to forget just how transphobic GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee is, here’s a reminder: pic.twitter.com/gWl2JmW0RS

— The Democrats (@TheDemocrats) June 2, 2015

Former New York Governor George Pataki, who supports abortion-on-demand and signed a number of bills that advanced the homosexual agenda, rebuked Huckabee and expressed his support of the transgender movement:

If someone chooses a path that’s different than mine, we should respect it as opposed to mocking…@Caitlyn_Jenner http://t.co/qNwmOMAVVU

— George E. Pataki (@GovernorPataki) June 3, 2015