Republicans worry about South Carolina Senate race as President Trump rallies in the state

A New York Times/Siena poll released Wednesday found the South Carolina Senate race between incumbent Sen. Darline Graham and Democrat Annie Andrews essentially tied, with only 80% of Republican voters backing Graham compared with 97% support for Andrews among Democrats. The poll was conducted after President Trump held two rallies in the state.

Republican operatives said Trump’s presence is intended to energize the party’s base, noting that voters opposed to Trump or the Republican Party were unlikely to support Graham anyway. However, party insiders expressed doubts about Graham’s ability to attract Republican voters.

One GOP official told MS NOW that Graham’s performance in the August runoff debate hurt her credibility and left voters questioning her qualifications, especially after she admitted limited knowledge of national security issues. The official added that 26% of likely voters said they would choose Andrews because of a negative view of Graham’s character or competence, with nearly half of that group being Republicans.

South Carolina Republican Norman, who has publicly pledged support for Graham but declined to campaign with her, questioned whether Graham has any political positions beyond supporting President Trump. He also noted that a write-in campaign is underway for him, though he is not involved.

Norman argued that President Trump’s decision to return to South Carolina for a second rally signals confidence in Graham’s campaign, saying, "Do you think he’d be coming down here for the second time to South Carolina if she wasn’t? No."

Graham’s campaign has attributed her polling challenges to a short window for voter outreach, noting that the rally comes three months after the death of her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham.