Lindsey Graham is baffled by support for Ben Carson, Donald Trump: 'How am I losing to these people?'

(Image credit: Screenshot/MSNBC)

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is scratching his head over the relative success of his competitors in the presidential race. After all, he says, Marco Rubio is acting like "a young man in a hurry," Donald Trump is struggling to construct coherent foreign policy, and Jeb Bush is simply "whiny." Speaking on MSNBC's Morning Joe, Graham expressed disbelief that such candidates are the ones beating him:

Can I give you my take on this race? So you've got the two frontrunners on the Democratic side, right? The No. 2 guy went to the Soviet Union on his honeymoon and I don't think he ever came back. The leader felt she was flat broke after her husband was president for eight years — and that's maybe why they stole the china. On our side, you've got the No. 2 guy who tried to kill somebody at 14. The No. 1 guy is high energy and crazy as hell. How am I losing to these people? [MSNBC]

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.