Witherspoon moves toward challenging Graham

South Carolina Republican National Committeeman Dr. Walter “Buddy” Witherspoon said Tuesday that he has formed an exploratory committee and is considering running for the seat of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) in 2008.

{mosads}Witherspoon was on his way to Washington to gauge support for a run over the next few days.

“I want to be sure everything is in order and my house is in order and everything’s ready to go when I do decide to do it,” Witherspoon told The Hill in a phone interview.

Witherspoon said he will not announce anything this week but could potentially make an announcement before the end of the year. He has until March to decide whether he wants to run. He would have to give up his position with the Republican National Committee.

Recent polls show that Graham is popular among the entire electorate, including Democrats, but his weaker numbers among Republicans suggest he could be susceptible to a primary challenge.

Former state Treasurer Thomas Ravenel (R) was initially thought to be a top potential primary opponent, but he was indicted on drug charges and pleaded guilty in September.

Witherspoon, an orthodontist, was elected South Carolina’s committeeman in 1996 and has been active behind the scenes in state party politics for years. However, he has never run for elected office.