Trump-Backed Darline Graham Wins South Carolina GOP Senate Primary Runoff
Senator Darline Graham will advance to the general election in the race to replace South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, who died suddenly last month.
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Darline Graham faced off against Representative Ralph Norman in a runoff on Tuesday after they emerged as the top two vote-getters in the special primary election earlier this month.
Graham was appointed by South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster last month to finish the remainder of her brother’s term in the Senate, which ends in early January. Lindsey Graham, who died from an aortic dissection in July, was just four months away from running for a fifth term in the Senate, after having easily won his primary race earlier this year.
Darline Graham has no prior political experience but has been described as a longtime political confidante of her brother who appeared alongside him at campaign events and in campaign advertisements.
However, her lack of political knowledge created an embarrassing viral moment during a debate last week, when she struggled to answer a question about Taiwan and the South China Sea, explaining that she’s “not that informed on national security.”
“I’m not a polished politician,” she said. “National security is not my thing, not my area of expertise, but I do support the military.”
Asked about the response, during a news conference, Graham told reporters that she had been traveling around South Carolina to talk to voters and that not a single one had brought up Taiwan or national security. Instead, she said voters were concerned about “the rising cost of health care and affordability, so that’s what’s important to me.”
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Graham is a 62-year-old married mother of two. She previously had a career working with people with disabilities and most recently served as commissioner of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind.
She was raised in part by her brother, who became her legal guardian when she was 13 and he was just 22, after both of their parents died within one year of each other.
Darline Graham was backed in the race by President Trump. The president campaigned on her behalf last week and held a tele-rally for her on Monday, according to CBS. Graham was also endorsed by South Carolina Senator Tim Scott.
Norman sought to contrast himself as an experienced lawmaker, having served in the U.S. house for nearly a decade, while he told voters Graham is an “unknown candidate.”
Norman is a member of the House Freedom Caucus and has at times found himself at odds with President Trump, such as when he endorsed South Carolina Republican Nikki Haley over Trump in the 2024 presidential primary.
Graham will take on Democrat Annie Andrews in November’s general election, where the GOP incumbent will have a major advantage in the solidly Republican state.
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