South Carolina GOP Senate Primary Advances to Runoff Between Darline Graham and Ralph Norman
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Appointed Sen. Darline Graham and Rep. Ralph Norman will face each other in a August 25 Republican runoff, with the winner set to challenge Democrat Annie Andrews in the November Senate race.
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster appointed Darline Graham to fill the Senate seat left vacant by her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, after his death in July. Graham, who has not previously held elected office, secured the endorsement of President Donald Trump and advanced to a Republican runoff against Rep. Ralph Norman following a ten-candidate primary.
The runoff, scheduled for Aug. 25, will determine the GOP nominee who will meet Democrat Annie Andrews, a physician who won her party’s primary in June, in the November general election. Graham’s brief tenure in the Senate has included co-sponsoring a sanctions bill targeting Russia and Iran, a measure that passed 86-11.
Norman, a former gubernatorial candidate, aligns closely with Trump’s agenda in Congress. While Trump’s endorsement helped Graham secure a spot in the runoff, some Republican voters expressed reservations about her candidacy. "I understand that she’s lost a brother and lost someone very special to her, and I sympathize with that, but at the same time, I don’t think that it’s necessary just to give it to her," said voter Bob Howell of Lexington.
The outcome of the runoff is viewed as pivotal, as the Republican nominee would be heavily favored to retain the seat in a state where Democrats have not won a Senate race since 1998.