{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.lgraham.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=2E47437E-31D1-420F-862F-DB04BE1BEF15", "Graham Visits Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative in Pickens", "2024-10-02", "2024", "2024-10", "Republican", "Senate", "SC", "Lindsey Graham", "G000359", "www.lgraham.senate.gov", "graham", "https://www.lgraham.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today met with leadership and employees at Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative in Pickens, South Carolina.\n\nBlue Ridge Electric Cooperative is a customer-owned electric utility company that has been operating in South Carolina since 1940. Graham is a customer of Blue Ridge.\n\nCLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS\n\nGraham gave an update with Blue Ridge President and CEO Jim Lovinggood during his visit.\n\nGRAHAM: \u201cThe co-ops are great all over South Carolina. They are indispensable at times like this.\u201d https://youtu.be/vTY7g3AqZwQ?si=leOqkYeHlsi3q39_&t=223\n\nGRAHAM: \u201cThese men and women have been working night and day.\u201d https://youtu.be/vTY7g3AqZwQ?si=YqwbDHS7OwXig4ft&t=51\n\nLOVINGGOOD: \u201cThis storm was historic in every way you choose to measure it. We had about 90 percent of our customers out of power Friday morning at 10:00 AM\u2026 So far we\u2019ve been able to get about 70 percent of those back on. So we\u2019re down now to about 30 percent of our customers without power.\u201d https://youtu.be/vTY7g3AqZwQ?si=MaDIT-YOP2UWp52C&t=69\n\nGRAHAM: \u201cThis is Hurricane Hugo for the Upstate, if you\u2019re old enough to remember that\u2026We got flattened up here, folks. I wanted to come by and thank the co-ops and all the line crew out there and the people working out in the field. You know it\u2019s a team sport here.\u201d https://youtu.be/vTY7g3AqZwQ?si=5LSZOZI3CNz8NLEa&t=167\n\nLOVINGGOOD: \u201cWe are working around the clock. We\u2019ve set up in both of our campuses to house up to 700 outside workers. We have over 500 currently in the field and we\u2019re hoping to get more help as the days go by.\u201d https://youtu.be/vTY7g3AqZwQ?si=YdQY-t_gt1KbejXG&t=116\n\nGRAHAM: \u201cJust be patient. The people who are trying to restore your power lost their power. They haven\u2019t seen their families, they are out there working 16 to 18-hour days working under very dangerous conditions. So to the extent you can be patient, please do. I know it\u2019s frustrating, but the people trying to help you have suffered like you have.\u201d https://youtu.be/vTY7g3AqZwQ?si=f_7q90Lk6sX3VLer&t=193\n\nClick here to watch the entire video", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:55:29Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.lgraham.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=2E47437E-31D1-420F-862F-DB04BE1BEF15"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8241599425673485, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}