The Hill News

GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham on Wednesday praised his fellow South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint's involvement in Republican primary elections, despite reports it has angered some in his own party. 

DeMint has endorsed a number of victorious Tea Party-backed candidates against GOP establishment office-seekers in Senate primary elections, a move that political observers say could damage the Republican Party's chances of taking the majority away from Democrats in the upper chamber in November.

{mosads}Graham, who has negotiated with Democrats on matters such as immigration reform, energy legislation and the Guantanamo Bay military prison, said that DeMint's efforts do not bother him.

"Jim is trying to get the Republican Party back to its roots and he is doing a hell of a good job," Graham said during an appearance on WVOC Radio in the Palmetto State. "Jim DeMint's policies are good for this country."

Graham's endorsement of DeMint's strategy comes even though he fits the mold of senators that DeMint-backed candidates have targeted this cycle.

Some conservative activists have criticized Graham for working with Democrats on key legislative efforts, but the senior senator said that he is not afraid to "push back" against Democratic pressure.

"I have worked across the aisle with Democrats but will push back when I need to," he said.

Due to the Tea Party wave this primary season, Graham has spent time preparing for a primary challenge from the right regardless of the fact he does not face reelection until 2014.

He spent time traveling the state this month, meeting with Tea Party and local GOP groups and appearing on conservative talk radio. There, he spent time defending himself as a mainstream conservative.

"If you can't accept me pushing back, then our party does have a problem. It's OK for you to push back against me, but it's OK for me to push back against you," Graham said earlier this month on WTMA radio in South Carolina, where he received a grilling over his record. "You may not li! ke my political style of trying to find compromise on the big issues of our time, but I think it's the heart and soul of what makes America great."

Graham appeared to downplay Democratic talk of infighting within the Republican Party said Wednesday there is room for both him and DeMint in the GOP.

"Jim's involved, I'm involved. We're not wallflowers. You got two Republican senators from South Carolina who don't mind speaking their minds," he said.