The National Federation of Independent Business, the nation’s leading small-business association, today endorsed Lindsey Graham for a third term in the U.S. Senate.
The endorsement comes from the NFIB SAFE (Save America’s Free Enterprise) Trust, the association’s political action committee, and is based on the candidate’s record and positions on key small-business issues such as health care, taxes, and labor and regulatory issues.
“Our members support the candidates who support small business, and Senator Graham’s record speaks for itself,” said Lisa Goeas, NFIB vice president for Political and Grassroots.
“Throughout his tenure in both the U.S. House and Senate, Senator Graham has proved to be a consistent advocate for small business,” Goeas said. Graham has voted with NFIB on a total of 139 key votes, earning him a 93 percent NFIB lifetime voting record.
“It is clear that Senator Graham continuously votes with NFIB in order to protect small business and support their growth,” Goeas said.
In the current Congress, Graham has voted with NFIB on all four of its key votes. He voted to protect individuals and small-business owners from a $1 trillion tax increase, to prevent taxing carbon emissions, for investment in the Keystone XL Pipeline construction, and to repeal the estate tax, making it easier for small-business owners to pass their family businesses down to their children and grandchildren.
He also co-sponsored two pieces of legislation that were key votes in the 112th Congress—a proposed balanced-budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution and a resolution voicing congressional disapproval of the new NLRB election rule, essentially allowing “ambush” union elections without the employer’s knowledge.
In addition, Graham co-sponsored legislation in the Senate to repeal the Affordable Care Act and correct language in the health-care law that redefines full-time employment as working only 30 hours a week instead of the traditional 40. He also co-sponsored the Small Business Paperwork Mandate Elimination Act, which would remove burdensome reporting requirements for small businesses and reform one of many nonsensical components of the health-care law.
“Senator Graham’s record on small business is impeccable,” said Ben Homeyer, state director of NFIB/South Carolina, the state’s leading small-business association with about 4,000 dues-paying members representing a cross section of the state’s economy. “He clearly understands the challenges facing South Carolina’s entrepreneurs and small, family businesses, and I have no doubt he’ll continue standing for small business in the years to come.”
Small-business owners and their employees vote in high numbers and are known for actively recruiting friends, family members and acquaintances to go to the polls. NFIB will encourage its members to help turn out the small-business vote for Graham in the June 10 primary and again in November.
