GOP super PAC will spend $10 million to help Lindsey Graham in South Carolina

The Senate Leadership Fund, a Republican super PAC, plans to spend $10 million in South Carolina, hoping to boost Sen. Lindsey Graham's re-election campaign as the race has tightened considerably, McClatchy reports.

Why it matters: The campaign has become unexpectedly competitive, with Graham's Democratic opponent, Jaime Harrison, having a massive financial advantage. Harrison was once thought to be a long shot against Graham in the typically Republican state, but the two are now tied 48%-48% according to a recent Quinnipiac poll.

The state of play: Harrison's fundraising has surged through small-dollar online donations, and now a Democratic super PAC is dropping an additional $6.5 million. "Harrison’s campaign had reserved more than $15 million in ads in October and November, according to a GOP source tracking the ad data, compared with just over $6 million in reservations for Graham and his Republican allies," per McClatchy.

• The boost from SLF should balance the spending between campaigns, yet Harrison’s fundraising could still grow.
• SLF president Steven Law said in a statement to McClatchy: “Our investment is an insurance policy helping South Carolinians understand Harrison is not the candidate he portrays himself to be — he is a hardcore liberal bought and paid for by his out of state donors who support a radical agenda.”