A near-capacity crowd filled the chapel room in the back of the Jeff Lynch appliance store on Monday to cheer on their champion, store owner Mark Lynch, as he officially announced a run to take the US Senate seat currently held by South Carolina senior senator Lindsey Graham, who has held that office since 2003.
After a few introductory remarks from Lynch's wife, Sara, an opening prayer by Lynch's pastor, Tim Huckabee of Burnsview Baptist Church, and an introduction by constitutional scholar Evan Mulch, Lynch spent the next fifty minutes making his case as to why he should be elected to office.
Lynch received a standing ovation at both the beginning and the ending of his remarks.
“I'm going to bring that sense of business to public service, which is something the swamp definitely needs,” said the long-time businessman.
Lynch noted that business common sense is returning to the White House now that Donal Trump is president.
America needs to get back to the Constitution, as well as the Bible, said Lynch. He said that laws need to go through the filter of God's word.
“We're now being controlled by man and not by God,” lamented Lynch, a deacon at Burnsview. “Our laws are not lining up to God's laws any longer,” he said, adding that the nation needs “God-fearing” people in office.
“We need to make God first again,” Lynch said, adding that America needs to get on its knees (in prayer).
Mulch, in his introductory remarks, said that South Carolina needs to elect a church-going senator who tells others about his faith in Jesus Christ.
“God is turning this great ship of America with Trump and we've got a door that is opening and we got to get involved and get me in there and people like us that are God-fearing people that will do the right thing.” He added, “We have the authority of Jesus Christ to rule and to reign.”
Graham came under heavy fire by Lynch in his remarks. Going so far as to say that Graham, a Republican, is the enemy of the Republican Party.
Lindsey's not one of us, we all know that,” said Lynch.
“It's time to end his betrayal to Trump, to America, to you and I,” said Lynch, adding, “He's a liar.” He said that South Carolina needs a senator who will work for the country instead of stabbing Trump in the back.
Lynch, who held a well-attended Second Amendment rally in front of his store a couple of years ago, asserted that Graham “is not a 2A guy.” “We'd better keep our guns,” said Lynch.
Concerning recent Senate confirmation hearings, Lynch said. “They forced him into it. He didn't like it. You could tell that he was very angry that he had to do that,” said Lynch about Graham's initial reluctance to support the conformation of Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to cabinet posts.
“We need a new South Carolina senator that puts America first, not one that puts us last,” said Mulch.
But, in a larger sense, Graham is not the enemy, said Lynch. Rather, he said, it is Satan. He quoted Ephesians 6:12 and said that the current conflict in public affairs is, at it's root, a spiritual battle.
As far as human enemies are concerned, though, Lynch noted several classes of people in America who fit that description – elected officials, corporate executives and “justices in black robes.”
Lynch's fellow Republicans came under fire as well from the staunch conservative, who serves as the president of the conservat6ive activist group, United Patriots Alliance.
In an interview last week with WORD 98.9 afternoon host Charlie James, Lynch asserted that America needs to make Republicans Republican again, meaning that many self-styled Republicans do not adhere to the party platform and are merely Republicans-In-Name-Only (RINOs). He said that Republicans are getting into politics and selling their souls.
The Republican leadership in Columbia also fell under severe criticism from Lynch, going so far as to call them traitors.
Lynch also minced no words in speaking of former president Joe Biden, whom he also described as a traitor, as well as a “senile puppet.”
As to the issues, Lynch said that office holders are only paying lip service to illegal immigration and that elected officials who won't vote to close the border are evil.
He also spoke briefly on fentanyl and China and wants to see manufacturing come back to America.
