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 USTrump recommended the appointment of Darline Graham, a career civil servant who was head of South Carolina’s Commission for the Blind, then encouraged her to run for a full term – upending a Republican scramble to select a new Senate nominee. She advanced to the runoff election after emerging as the top vote-getter in a 10-candidate field that included two congressmen and a former South Carolina governor.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Fox NewsSen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., toppled Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., in a whirlwind race to replace her brother, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, as the GOP nominee for the Senate after his sudden death in July.
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.
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 NewsGraham has said outsider status is a plus, while pointing to Trump’s backing. The power of President Donald Trump's endorsement and the legacy of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham are on the ballot in South Carolina, as voters go to the polls Tuesday in a special primary runoff election.
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.
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"The thing that hammered it home was his visit and telling the MAGA crowd that his endorsement was unequivocal," Scott Huffmon, a political science professor at Winthrop University, told USA TODAY. "Trump left no doubt who he was behind, and they voted the way he told them to, period." That led the Trump-endorsed incumbent and political neophyte to beat hardline conservative Rep. Ralph Norman in the heavily Republican state, 52% to 48%, the Associated Press and NBC News projected.
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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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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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USA TodayGraham started her victory speech at a Columbia watch party by reflecting on her brother's death. She said she misses her brother every day.
The AtlanticDarline Graham has talked about the difficulty of campaigning while grieving, saying that she has not had time to fully process her brother’s death. She has said that sometimes, in the morning, she has time to reflect: “I think a lot about what I would say to him.” She remarked to a crowd at a barbecue joint in Florence, South Carolina, that she’d lost 10 pounds during the monthlong campaign following her brother’s death. “It’s been absolutely brutal. This past month has been brutal,” she said during a speech after making it to the runoff, one month after her brother’s death. “None of this has been comfortable for me. But like I said, I’m a fighter.” Her campaign and Senate office did not respond to my inquiries.
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Here are the key takeaways from Tuesday's pivotal primary. Trump's endorsement gave Graham 'a pretty solid win'
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HuffPostWhile 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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Trump got more endorsement magic on Aug. 25 as his pick for Oklahoma governor, former state Sen. Mike Mazzei, defeated state Attorney General Gentner Drummond in a Republican primary runoff.
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BreitbartRunoffs 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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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.
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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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"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.”
17 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 USA Today "The MAGA support came out in full force," Huffmon said, especially in Horry County, where Trump visited in Myrtle Beach.
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02 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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03 Washington Examiner Maybe voters, including even Republican primary voters, are more interested in the economy and domestic issues than foreign affairs.
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04 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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05 NPR News The outcome of Tuesday's race will test President Trump's influence in the state.
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06 Fox News "So I've known her through Lindsey — I've known her for so long," he continued. "I think Lindsey respected Darline more than any other person he knows, including me."
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07 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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08 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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09 Reuters Three takeaways from Tuesday's South Carolina Republican Senate primary - Reuters Three takeaways from Tuesday's South Carolina Republican Senate primary Reuters
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10 HuffPost The race had divided the world of Trump’s followers and supporters, with a considerable number breaking with Trump and backing Norman. The American Conservative Union, for example, which stages the various “Conservative Political Action Conferences” in the United States and abroad, and which in recent years has essentially become a propaganda arm for Trump, backed Norman over Graham.
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11 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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12 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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13 The Hill Watch live: DDHQ and The Hill track and analyze SC Senate GOP special election runoff The Hill presents one hour of real-time primary night coverage, diving deep into the 2026 South Carolina special U.S. Senate primary runoff on Tuesday. The Hill’s coverage will be anchored by NewsNation’s Cory Smith, joined by The Hill campaign and congressional reporters, Decision Desk HQ, plus political analysts. The live, primary coverage delivers fast, accurate results and sharp…
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14 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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15 Washington Times Her victory came with the help of President Trump, who enthusiastically endorsed her and hosted a get-out-the-vote rally in Myrtle Beach on Friday.
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16 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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17 PBS NewsHour Tamara Keith and Amy Walter on Trump's midterm strategy NPR's Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter join Geoff Bennett to discuss the latest political news, including the South Carolina Senate runoff between Republicans Darline Graham and Ralph Norman, a meeting involving Jared Kushner and the top House Democrat, President Trump's push to limit mail-in voting and the politics of Trump's trade war with Canada.
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