Darline Graham, the sister of the deceased Senator Lindsey Graham, emerged victorious in the Republican primary runoff for a U.S. Senate seat in South Carolina on Tuesday, as per projections by U.S. media. Following her brother’s passing on July 11, Darline, who temporarily assumed the Senate position until January, defeated Representative Ralph Norman. She is now set to compete in the upcoming November election for a full six-year Senate term. President Donald Trump supported Graham’s candidacy, providing substantial financial backing through his MAGA INC super PAC. During a rally in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Trump emphasized his endorsement by declaring, “I am on the ballot.”
Graham, aged 62, will go head-to-head with Democratic nominee Annie Andrews, a pediatrician, in the general election. With South Carolina being a deeply conservative state, Graham is anticipated to secure a comfortable victory. This primary election marked one of the many assessments of Trump’s influence on voters leading up to this year’s midterm elections, where he aims to prevent Democrats from seizing control of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate from the Republican party. Despite Trump’s mixed track record of endorsements this election cycle, with polls indicating concerns over escalating consumer prices and an unpopular stance on the Iran conflict, his support for Graham was evident through the significant $827,711 US spent by MAGA INC.
At a rally on Friday, Graham sought to recover from a previous debate setback where her lack of familiarity with national security matters, a domain central to her brother’s Senate career, was highlighted. Acknowledging the error, Graham redirected her focus to domestic issues such as immigration policies and anti-abortion advocacy. Prior to her Senate appointment, Graham had advocated for individuals with physical disabilities without prior public office experience.
South Carolina has consistently shown strong support for Trump in all his presidential campaigns, making it unlikely to influence the congressional power struggle. Ralph Norman, a 73-year-old real estate developer and long-serving U.S. House member, faced defeat in the primary runoff following an unsuccessful gubernatorial bid.