Lindsey Graham was booed by Republican crowd after he suggested they consider getting vaccinated

• A crowd of Republicans booed Sen. Lindsey Graham when he suggested they consider getting vaccinated.
• At an event in South Carolina over the weekend, the lawmaker said he was glad he got the shot.
• South Carolina’s vaccination rate falls below the national average.
• See more stories on Insider’s business page.

Sen. Lindsey Graham is the latest in a long line of Republican politicians facing backlash from their own voters over the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.

A crowd of Republican activists booed the South Carolina senator on Saturday after he suggested they “consider” getting the shot, video from the event shows.

“If you haven’t had the vaccine, you ought to think about getting it because if you’re my age – “

“No!” the crowd jeered as they interrupted the lawmaker.

“I didn’t tell you to get it,” Graham responded. “You ought to think about it.”

-ABC News (@ABC) October 6, 2021

Again, the South Carolina crowd rebuked the Senator’s suggestion with boos and shouts of “no.”

“Well, I’m glad I got it,” the 66-year-old then said. Graham received his vaccine in December and credited the shot with milder side effects when he came down with a breakthrough case of COVID this summer.

Despite the derision from the crowd, Graham continued on, telling audience members that the vast majority of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the state are among unvaccinated people.

“False!” the crowd responded. “Not true!”

South Carolina’s full vaccination rate falls well below the national average of 56% at about 48%, according to The Washington Post’s vaccine tracker.

Graham told attendees that while he trusts the vaccines, he agrees with their worries about mandates.

The longstanding senator joined some of his fellow party members who have faced resistance from their own supporters over the proven coronavirus mitigation method. In August, former President Donald Trump was booed by some of his supporters at an Alabama rally after he suggested they get the shot, and in July, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson was booed after he said coronavirus vaccines don’t cause infertility.

Graham’s office did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.