Patronis Covers Lindsey Graham, Iran, Birthright Citizenship, Mail-In Ballots and More

Pensacola, FL (NewsRadio 92.3) -- Northwest Florida Congressman Jimmy Patronis joined Pensacola's Morning News Tuesday — opening with personal memories of the late Senator Lindsey Graham and moving through Iran, several major Supreme Court rulings, and the state of mail-in ballot integrity.

Remembering Lindsey Graham

Patronis shared two personal memories of the South Carolina senator who died suddenly over the weekend following a heart issue. The first was a 2018 rally in Jacksonville where Graham came to Florida to campaign for Rick Scott against incumbent Senator Bill Nelson — an act Patronis says demonstrated real character given that Graham had likely worked alongside Nelson in the Senate for nearly two decades. The second was sharing a ride to a bill signing in Palm Beach County when Patronis was Florida CFO. He described Graham simply as a nice guy and a hard worker — and said his willingness to get into the trenches for people he believed in said everything about who he was.

Iran Back in Conflict

Patronis says the return of hostilities with Iran is no surprise. He says the fundamental problem is that the United States is trying to negotiate with a deeply fractured country where different factions have access to their own weapon systems and are acting independently. He says the president has been trying the diplomatic approach but expects aerial campaigns to continue — summarizing the administration's posture with a line he has been posting on social media: the beating will continue until the morale improves. He also noted that death threats against the president served as an additional trigger for retaliatory action.

Birthright Citizenship

The Supreme Court upheld birthright citizenship in a 5-4 ruling — and Patronis says while the Constitution is clear the answer lies in tightening the visa process. He wants visa applications to include questions about pregnancy and says anyone who enters the country under false pretenses to give birth should have the parents permanently barred from the United States. He notes that birth tourism often involves emergency room deliveries at taxpayer expense — something he says was never the intent of the Fourteenth Amendment. He believes the narrow 5-4 margin signals that even some justices recognize the system is being exploited.

Mail-In Ballots

Patronis shared a striking story from a chance elevator encounter with a Democratic member of Congress from California who told him unprompted that the mail-in ballot system in his state is badly broken — describing how ballots are sent to every registered voter, people are gathered at events, coached on how to fill them out, and then harvested. Patronis says that is exactly the kind of abuse the president wants to address. He drew a contrast with Florida where voters must request a mail-in ballot for each election — a system he says is more secure while still accessible.

Transgender Sports Ban

The Supreme Court upheld the prohibition on biological males competing in women's sports — and Patronis called it a return to sane governance after what he described as an outlandish chapter of collegiate athletics that was exploited by disjointed policy.