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AirTalk

Lindsey Graham prez bid raises doubts about the electability of a serial bachelor

BOONE, IA - JUNE 06: Republican presidential hopeful Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) speaks at a Roast and Ride event hosted by freshman Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) on June 6, 2015 in Boone, Iowa. Ernst is hoping the event, which featured a motorcycle tour, a pig roast, and speeches from several 2016 presidential hopefuls, becomes an Iowa Republican tradition. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Republican presidential hopeful Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) speaks at a Roast and Ride event hosted by freshman Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) on June 6, 2015 in Boone, Iowa.
(
Scott Olson/Getty Images
)
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Lindsey Graham prez bid raises doubts about the electability of a serial bachelor

Lindsey Graham has served in both chambers of Congress, but one detail of his private life is threatening to overshadow other aspects of his campaign: the fact that he’s never been married.

Only two bachelors—James Buchanan and Grover Cleveland—have ever been elected U.S. president.

Graham's considered a long shot, to be fair. But does it matter that he is a lifelong bachelor? Does this part of his private life have any bearing on his ability to become a sound world leader? Would you vote for someone running for the presidency or other high office who’s a bachelor or a bachelorette?

Guest:

Julian Zelizer, Professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University. He is the author of many books on American political history, including his latest, “The Fierce Urgency of Now: Lyndon Johnson, Congress, and the Battle for the Great Society.” (Penguin Press, 2015)