Darline Graham, backed by Trump, wins South Carolina GOP Senate runoff

Sen. Darline Graham defeated Rep. Ralph Norman in South Carolina's snap Senate GOP primary, a significant win for President Donald Trump after a string of his endorsed candidates stumbled in recent weeks.

fact

The president went to great lengths to get her over the finish line: He encouraged her to get into the race with his early endorsement, reiterated that support as she fumbled on the debate stage, and rallied for her in Myrtle Beach — a step that he hasn't taken for most of his preferred candidates this cycle.

fact

The support didn't stop there. MAGA Inc., Trump's behemoth super PAC, spent over $827,000 on phone calls and text messages for Graham, money that Republicans in competitive battlegrounds have been anxiously waiting for.

fact

Graham's win is a remarkable coup for a figure who was unknown to the public just a few weeks ago.

fact

In the end, his experience didn't win over voters, and he also saw backlash from the solar industry, which spent $1 million to help defeat him.

fact

In the end, his experience didn't win over voters, and he also saw backlash from the solar industry, which spent $1 million to help defeat him.

fact

Since 2019, she has led South Carolina's Commission for the Blind and had previously worked for the South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Department.

fact

With nearly all of the vote tallied, Graham was leading Norman roughly 52% to 48%.

fact

An hour north in Rock Hill, Norman said he had not prepared a concession speech and lamented Trump's involvement, though he said he accepted the results and planned to call Graham.

fact

To beat Norman, who's spent nearly a decade in Congress, Graham had to overcome GOP attacks of nepotism and inexperience.

fact

Graham, 62, will now face Democrat Annie Andrews, a pediatrician, in the November general election, and is the heavy favorite in the deep-red state where her brother served in the Senate and House for more than 30 years.

fact

In the closing days of the campaign, she touted herself as someone who would continue her brother's legacy and also be a reliable vote for Trump.

fact

It was a particularly notable moment given that her senator brother had served more than three decades in the Air Force and was one of the leading voices on national security on Capitol Hill.

fact

Three days later, Darline Graham was sworn in to serve out the rest of his term.

fact

In one ad, she noted she was the lead sponsor of a tough Russia sanctions bill that was renamed for her brother, and she highlighted her vote to confirm Todd Blanche, Trump's nominee for attorney general.

fact

In one ad, she noted she was the lead sponsor of a tough Russia sanctions bill that was renamed for her brother, and she highlighted her vote to confirm Todd Blanche, Trump's nominee for attorney general.

fact

Fresh from a trip to Ukraine, Lindsey Graham died the night of July 11 from what doctors preliminarily said was a tear in the aorta due to the hardening of the arteries.

fact

Last year, Norman, a member of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, clashed with Trump and GOP leaders by initially opposing the president's landmark tax-and-spending cuts package, known as the "One Big Beautiful Bill." But he eventually voted yes after successfully negotiating to speed up work requirements for Medicaid recipients and the elimination of Biden-era wind and solar tax credits.

fact

While Darline Graham had Trump, McMaster and Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., in her corner, Norman secured endorsements from former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, who now lives in the state; Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., his onetime rival for governor; former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, who had run in the special Senate primary race; and former Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., who previously led the Heritage Foundation.

fact

But in the Tuesday runoff, Graham crushed Norman there, winning more than 26,000 votes to his nearly 10,000.

fact

While Darline Graham had Trump, McMaster and Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., in her corner, Norman secured endorsements from former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, who now lives in the state; Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., his onetime rival for governor; former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, who had run in the special Senate primary race; and former Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., who previously led the Heritage Foundation.

fact

"Her brother was very much about the world. … That's good, that's fine. But she's more about affordability," Trump said about the Graham siblings, who have both talked about their humble beginnings being raised in a single room next to their family's bar and pool hall.

fact

Graham, meanwhile, bested Norman in populous areas along the coast and around the capital city of Columbia.

fact

Trump's visit to South Carolina and Fry's endorsement seem to have boosted her in Horry County, where the Myrtle Beach rally was held.

fact

The runoff was a rare race that divided conservatives.

fact

In the initial GOP primary two weeks ago, Fry won the county with nearly 14,000 votes.

fact

Graham defeated U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman in Tuesday's special Republican primary runoff, two weeks after they were the top two finishers in a 10-way primary.

fact

He also urged her to run in the special primary, endorsing her before she'd made her candidacy official.

fact

With McMaster, her family and U.S. Rep. William Timmons looking on, Graham went on to thank the president for his support and for the relationship he had with her brother.

fact

Among the unknowns going into Tuesday was whether Trump's backing would be enough to boost the political newcomer with the famous last name, but whose political positions were previously unidentified, across the finish line to the nomination.

fact

Throughout her brief campaign, Graham did just that. She repeatedly stressed to voters her intent to support Trump's policy positions and often referenced in particular her co-sponsorship of a voting bill that's become a key priority for the president.

fact

Throughout her brief campaign, Graham did just that. She repeatedly stressed to voters her intent to support Trump's policy positions and often referenced in particular her co-sponsorship of a voting bill that's become a key priority for the president.

fact

Norman thanked his supporters at his Tuesday night watch party but decried Graham taking outside PAC money, and Trump for supporting her.

fact

Graham stumbled over a question about foreign policy — a signature issue of her late brother — when asked whether the U.S. has a national security interest in Taiwan and the South China Sea, a longstanding contention of both Democratic and Republican administrations.

fact

Fresh off his unsuccessful primary run for governor, Norman entered the Senate contest as one of several politicians more familiar to South Carolina voters.

fact

A wealthy developer before he entered politics, Norman put some of his own fortune toward the campaign, including more than $1 million in the closing week.

fact

He snapped up endorsements from the likes of Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Mike Lee of Utah, as well as former South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint and Turning Point Action, the conservative youth movement founded by the late Charlie Kirk.

fact

Graham and Norman met for a single runoff debate, and there was one moment from the hourlong face-off that lived on.

fact

Casting his ballot for Graham at an early voting location near Trump's rally site, Robert Tropiano said Friday that the president's backing for the candidate was enough to win his support.

"Trump wants her, he's doing a great job and I believe we should give him what he wants," Tropiano said.

fact

Norman called Taiwan "a definite ally" when posed the same question, applauding Trump for "enabling Taiwan to defend themselves against China." Afterward, he suggested Graham's answer showed her lack of qualifications for the office.

fact

No Democrat has won a U.S. Senate seat in South Carolina in decades. When Lindsey Graham last ran in 2020, he defeated his Democratic opponent by a 10 percentage point margin.

fact

Some of that argument landed with Rock Hill voter Mike Sellers, who said that he voted Tuesday for Norman in part because Graham's experience level "wasn't really cutting it for me."

fact

No Democrat has won a U.S. Senate seat in South Carolina in decades. When Lindsey Graham last ran in 2020, he defeated his Democratic opponent by a 10 percentage point margin.

fact

Sellers also said he wasn't swayed by the notion of supporting Graham as a tribute to her late brother.

"Just because her brother was senator doesn't give her an easy pass in," Sellers said. "If she wants to come next time around — maybe challenge (Sen.) Tim Scott — we'll look at it then."

fact

That contest was the most expensive in state history and among the country's most expensive congressional races ever.

fact

By late Tuesday, however, it was clear she had pulled it off. While Norman performed well in his home base of Greenville, Graham outperformed him in much of the rest of the state – including a resounding win in the area surrounding Myrtle Beach, where Trump campaigned with her last week.

fact

Only 33% of Americans approve of his performance, according to the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, but Tuesday's result shows he still has singular influence among Republican voters.

fact

It was a much-needed win for Trump, facing mounting public concerns over inflation, the conflict with Iran and an escalating trade war with Canada.

fact

The president's ability to boost turnout among his party faithful will be a key factor in determining whether Republicans are able to retain control of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate in November's midterm elections.

fact

The late Senator Lindsey Graham became a close ally of Trump's after a rocky start in 2016 when, as a candidate in the Republican presidential primaries, he referred to Trump as a "bigot" and "complete idiot."

fact

It is still unclear, however, whether Republicans will be able to hold onto their slim Senate majority next year.

fact

He would go on to become a frequent golfing companion of the president and one of his most loyal supporters in Congress.

fact

Darline Graham and Norman were the top two vote-getters in the special primary election on Aug. 11, with Darline Graham getting nearly 33% of the vote to Norman's almost 25%. But since neither candidate secured 50% of the vote, the contest went to a runoff.

fact

As the runoff approached, Darline Graham billed herself as "a problem solver, a critical thinker, and a leader," despite her lack of experience in elected office.

fact

As Darline Graham, 62, introduced herself to voters, her experience and ability to serve a full term in the Senate appeared to be at the center of the primary.

fact

But the newly minted senator pulled off a win in the runoff with the president's support. Mr. Trump campaigned for Darline Graham in South Carolina last week and hosted a tele-rally on Monday.

fact

The 73-year-old real estate developer, who's represented South Carolina in the House since 2017, drew a line between himself and Darline Graham in the short-lived primary fight, calling her an "unknown candidate."

fact

But as she vowed to carry on her brother's legacy, she also emphasized that she would bring her own approach to the Senate.

fact

She and her brother had a close relationship, and the late senator never married or had children.

fact

She and her brother had a close relationship, and the late senator never married or had children.

fact

The 73-year-old real estate developer, who's represented South Carolina in the House since 2017, drew a line between himself and Darline Graham in the short-lived primary fight, calling her an "unknown candidate."

fact

Darline Graham likened her work ethic to her brother's, and credited their hardworking parents who ran a bar and liquor store in central South Carolina for modeling that ethic.

fact

Meanwhile, Norman touted his credentials as a conservative legislator.

fact

But the seat is expected to remain in GOP control. South Carolinians haven't elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1998, and Mr. Trump won the state by 18 points in 2024.

fact

Although the president did not mention Norman ahead of the runoff, Mr. Trump said in a post on Truth Social Wednesday that Norman "had the look of a good Congressman (Not great, but good), but ruined his career when he endorsed Nikki Haley."

fact

But the seat is expected to remain in GOP control. South Carolinians haven't elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1998, and Mr. Trump won the state by 18 points in 2024.

fact

Trump, who easily won South Carolina in each of his three elections, said he recommended Darline Graham as an interim replacement after Lindsey Graham's passing, and later called on her to run for a full term.

fact

Norman, though, was backed ahead of the runoff by Sanford, who generally refrains from offering political endorsements but said "the stakes are simply too high" for him to stay out of the contest.

fact

Trump, who easily won South Carolina in each of his three elections, said he recommended Darline Graham as an interim replacement after Lindsey Graham's passing, and later called on her to run for a full term.

fact

Now the first woman and first graduate from a historically Black college and university (HBCU) to represent South Carolina in the Senate, she acknowledged at the debate that she's "not a politician" and suggested that her ascension to the Senate is "part of God's plan."

fact

She'll face off this fall against Democrat Annie Andrews, a Charleston pediatrician who won her party's June primary. DDHQ considers the seat likely Republican.

fact