Lindsey Graham has dropped out of the race and with him will go a certain willingness to compromise on the contentious issue. Unlike his colleague Marco Rubio, Graham touted his record on the campaign trail, at times emphasizing his efforts to push for comprehensive immigration reform in the Senate as a member of the infamous Gang of Eight. Graham also criticized both Donald Trump and Ted Cruz in the media, telling Bloomberg Politics that Cruz “has been very intolerable” on immigration, and Donald Trump’s rhetoric and proposed policies are “killing the Republican Party.”
On this issue, Graham’s absence will be felt. Hillary Clinton’s senior spokesperson Jesse Ferguson tweeted:
But there’s still Marco Rubio who, in the middle of a spat with Ted Cruz at last Thursday’s debate, outlined his policy position very clearly: registration, fines, heightened border security, lots of waiting, legal status, and then after some more waiting, the possibility of citizenship.