Sen. Darline Graham Defeats Rep. Ralph Norman in South Carolina’s Republican Primary Run-O
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Sen. Darline Graham defeated Rep. Ralph Norman in South Carolina’s Republican primary runoff, NBC News projects, a victory for President Donald Trump, who recruited, endorsed and campaigned for her following her brother Lindsey Graham’s death six weeks ago.
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New York PostGraham (R-SC), who was endorsed and encouraged by President Trump to run for Lindsay Graham’s seat following the longtime senator’s shocking death last month, topped Norman (R-SC) 53-47% in the Palmetto State primary runoff, with more than three-fourths of the ballots counted.
The Daily WireGraham entered a crowded special Senate race on July 20 after Trump enthusiastically endorsed her, telling the head of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind, “RUN, DARLINE, RUN!” South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Graham in July to serve out the remainder of her brother’s term.
The Guardian USDarline Graham, with Donald Trump’s full-throated support, overcame concern about her lack of legislative experience to beat five-term congressman Ralph Norman in Tuesday’s Republican special primary runoff.
The HillLive results: Graham, Norman square off for GOP nod in South Carolina Senate runoff Sen. Darline Graham (R) is squaring off against Rep. Ralph Norman (R) for the GOP nod in the South Carolina Senate race. The pair advanced to the runoff earlier this month after neither candidate garnered more than half the vote in the crowded primary field. Graham, who notched President Trump’s support, led Norman by 8…
BreitbartDarline Graham Nordone has won the South Carolina Republican Senate runoff, defeating Rep. Ralph Norman by 53-47 percent and giving President Donald Trump a huge win on Tuesday. The race was called by Decision Desk and NBC News.
Fox NewsTrump is backing Sen. Darline Graham in the Republican Senate nomination runoff in South Carolina, in the race to succeed her late brother, GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham, who unexpectedly died this summer at age 71.
USA TodayGraham ran against Rep. Ralph Norman in the race to replace her deceased brother as the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in South Carolina after they were the two top finishers in an July primary. He brother had previously been nominated in June.
Washington ExaminerAfter polls initially placed Graham Nordone ahead of her opponent, Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), her momentum stalled after she said she was “not that informed on national security,” causing voters to question her experience. Graham Nordone was appointed by Gov. Henry McMaster (R-SC) following the unexpected death of her brother, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Washington TimesThe two-week runoff window since the two Republicans were the top vote-getters in an Aug. 11 primary has been a slugfest. Darline Graham — a political newcomer serving as interim replacement for her late brother - has struggled to define herself to voters who routinely backed Lindsey Graham in the heavily Republican state. Norman, who’s served the better part of two decades in state and federal elected office, has stressed his experience to voters already aware of him from his years in Congress, plus an unsuccessful run for governor earlier this year.
PoliticoPolitical newcomer Darline Graham wins South Carolina’s GOP Senate runoff Her win in the snap primary to replace her late brother Lindsey Graham comes after President Donald Trump significantly boosted her campaign.
RealClearPoliticsSen. Darline Graham won the GOP Senate runoff in South Carolina on Tuesday night, CBS News projects, defeating Rep. Ralph Norman in the special primary to replace Graham's late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, on the ballot.
HuffPostDarline Graham, who had never publicly evinced a desire to run for public office prior to being asked by Trump to run for her brother’s seat, defeated congressman Ralph Norman in the runoff election. She will now face Democratic nominee Annie Andrews in November and, given the state’s recent political history, is likely to win.
The AtlanticLess than 48 hours after Senator Lindsey Graham died suddenly from heart issues last month, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster appointed Graham’s younger sister to complete the remaining six months of his term. Soon after that, Darline Graham announced that she would also run for a full six-year term, a bid that came at President Trump’s request. In the solidly red state, her biggest hurdle is likely to come in a primary runoff today. She is running in part on the legacy of her brother—but also in ways that bear no resemblance to the way he approached the job.
PBS NewsHourGraham and Norman make final push in South Carolina GOP Senate runoff On Tuesday, Republican voters in South Carolina will vote to replace the late Sen. Lindsey Graham on November's ballot in a runoff between his sister Darline and Congressman Ralph Norman. As South Carolina ETV's Gavin Jackson reports, the closing days of this electoral sprint featured a major debate gaffe and a campaign rally with President Trump.
NPR NewsAfter no candidate in a crowded field won outright in a Republican special primary earlier this month, the state is holding a runoff between Graham's sister, Sen. Darline Graham, and Congressman Ralph Norman.
New York TimesGraham, and Trump, Triumph: Six Takeaways From South Carolina’s Senate Runoff President Trump went all in for Senator Darline Graham in a primary runoff on Tuesday. It worked, preserving his undefeated streak in Republican Senate primaries this year.
ABC NewsFacing off are Lindsey Graham's sister, Sen. Darline Graham -- a political newcomer who was first appointed to the seat to finish out the rest of Lindsey Graham's term -- and Rep. Ralph Norman, a staunch conservative and member of the hard line Freedom Caucus. Whoever wins the runoff will face Democratic candidate Annie Andrews in November.
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"Lindsey Graham was well informed on the United States' national security. Darline Graham admits she's not. This is not something you inherit. And it's critical in the U.S. Senate," Haley wrote on X last week.
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The Daily WireFormer South Carolina Republican Gov. Nikki Haley criticized the remark. “Lindsey Graham was well informed on the United States’ national security. Graham admits she’s not,” Haley said. “This is not something you inherit. And it’s critical in the U.S. Senate.”
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Runoffs in Oklahoma are taking place as well, with the gubernatorial GOP runoff between Trump-endorse Mike Mazzei and Attorney General Gentner Drummond drawing headlines.
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Fox NewsIn Oklahoma, the Trump-backed Mazzei finished slightly behind state Attorney General Gentner Drummond in the initial June GOP primary, with a crowded field keeping either from winning the nomination outright. The winner of Tuesday's GOP runoff will be considered the clear general election favorite in the Republican-dominated state.
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While most Trump GOP primary “endorsements” ― which in the majority of cases are for incumbents without serious opposition or candidates with clear polling leads ― involve little more than a post or two on Trump’s personal social media platform, he pulled out all the stops to back Graham.
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Fox NewsTrump has boasted a powerful endorsement scorecard in GOP primaries so far this election cycle.
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“Lindsey was one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known, and his sister shares his deep love of our Country, and the State of South Carolina,” the president continued, adding that “there is nobody better to honor the legacy of her beloved brother.”
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Breitbart“Lindsey was one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known, and his sister shares his deep love of our Country, and the State of South Carolina. During her visit, I asked Darline, for the Good of our Nation, to run for the U.S. Senate,” he wrote.
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She has also pointed to differences with her brother, saying that she would favor getting rid of the filibuster, something that he resisted, and that she would take a tougher line on immigration. Her brother supported creating a clearer pathway to citizenship. “I love Lindsey to death, but I’m a little bit stronger on immigration,” she said during a campaign event last week. “To me, it’s really clear; it’s a black-and-white issue: It’s legal versus illegal. If you’re here illegally, you should be deported. You’re breaking the law.”
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New York Post“I loved my brother Lindsey, and I miss him so much every day. But on illegal immigration, I’m tougher than he was,” she said at the Myrtle Beach rally. “It’s simple. If you are here illegally, you got to go.”
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During 12 years with the Vocational Rehabilitation Department, Graham served as the business services director and communications director, according to the biography. She currently serves on the South Carolina State Workforce Development Board and is president-elect of the National Council of State Agencies for the Blind.
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Washington TimesMs. Graham, 62, had never previously held public office. The married mother of two, who is also a grandmother, has largely lived out of the public eye. She spent her career helping people with disabilities and most recently served as the commissioner of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind.
14 details only one outlet reported
Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.
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01 Politico ‘It's put up or shut up time’: Battleground Republicans want the Darline treatment The president went to great lengths to push his candidate over the finish line in South Carolina, but Republicans want the same support in races that will actually determine control of Congress.
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02 ABC News Norman, meanwhile, has said that his experience is his "resume" and that conservatives in the Palmetto State can trust him more than a relative unknown like Graham.
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03 Washington Examiner Graham Nordone has sought to honor her brother’s legacy while also drawing distinctions between the two, particularly by emphasizing domestic concerns such as affordability rather than the foreign policy issues that became a defining feature of Lindsey Graham’s Senate career.
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04 Fox News A powerful name and an endorsement from President Donald Trump proved more than enough to score an unlikely candidate a win in the latest runoff election in South Carolina.
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05 NBC News Wasserman Schultz wins Florida’s 20th District Democratic primary, NBC News projects 02:16 Primary Candidates With the Same Name Sparks Confusion 02:47 'We can insist on change’: Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan wins Minnesota Democratic Senate primary 01:11 Sen. Amy Klobuchar to face Lisa Demuth in Minnesota gubernatorial general election 01:50 Wisconsin Democratic governor primary too close to call between Crowley, Hong 02:50 Larson, Bronin speak to voters after Bronin’s win in Connecticut House race 01:49 Norman, Graham speak after advancing to runoff in South Carolina Republican Senate primary 02:02 Norman, Graham advance to South Carolina GOP Senate runoff 11:48 Sen. Darline Graham advances to runoff in S.C.
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06 New York Post She previously bested Norman and several other contenders, including former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R), Rep. Russell Fry (R-SC), businessman Mark Lynch, and more, in the initial Aug. 11 special GOP Senate primary.
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07 USA Today A longtime legislator Norman first served in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 2005 to 2006 and again from 2009 to 2017 after working for his family's well-known commercial real estate development company, the Warren Norman Company, which was founded by his father.
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08 HuffPost “I think Trump making this a referendum on himself meant that MAGA voters in key places turned out and voted for the candidate he endorsed,” said Scott Huffmon, a political scientist and pollster at South Carolina’s Winthrop University. “Given Trump‘s recent losses in primary endorsements, that was not a sure thing when polls opened this morning.”
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09 Washington Times In her victory speech Tuesday evening, Ms. Graham said she misses her brother and there is “still a big hole in my heart.”
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10 Breitbart Trump’s support did not keep ambitious Palmetto State politicos on the sidelines. Norman, Rep. Russell Fry, former governor and representative Mark Sanford, and others jumped into the race.
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11 The Guardian US Some Republican voters saw that as evidence that she was not prepared for the role. Others dismissed the perceived effect as media spin.
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12 The Atlantic It’s something that happens so often in politics that there’s a name for it: widow’s succession. Dozens of times over the past century, women have filled a seat previously occupied by their late husband, and some have gone on to serve a long career.
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13 NPR News The outcome of Tuesday's race will test President Trump's influence in the state.
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14 The Daily Wire “There’s nothing enormously special about him. But, you know what you’re going to get. He is a solid conservative voter,” Ryan Girdusky, a conservative political consultant, previously told The Daily Wire.
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