South Carolina's New Senate Candidate Darline Graham Defeats Proven Conservative Rep. Rand
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Political 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.
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PBS NewsHourDarline Graham wins South Carolina GOP nomination to replace her late brother in U.S. Senate U.S. Sen. Darline Graham won the Republican nomination to replace her late brother on South Carolina's general election ballot, notching another win for President Donald Trump after he threw his support behind the political novice.
NPR NewsSouth Carolina's GOP Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Darline Graham to serve out the remainder of her brother's term following his death. She came in first place following a special election on Aug. 11 to replace him on the November ballot to run for a full term.
The FederalistGov. Henry McMaster tapped Graham to serve out her brother Lindsey Graham’s current term after South Carolina’s senior senator died in July — less than four months before November’s midterm election. Now Darline Graham stands an election away from keeping the seat her brother had held for four terms, and was running for a fifth.
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.
Washington ExaminerSen. Darline Graham Nordone’s (R-SC) narrow special election runoff victory is giving South Carolina political strategists reason to believe the critical early presidential primary state could be wide open in 2028.
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Graham beat proven conservative Rep. Ralph Norman by 5 percentage points (52.5% to 47.5%), with primary voters opting for a “woefully” unprepared “very nice lady” over a five-term congressman and Freedom Caucus member who is informed on national security.
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Washington ExaminerGraham Nordone defeated Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) 52.5% to 47.5% Tuesday in the Republican runoff to permanently replace her late brother in the Senate, which she entered with the endorsement of President Donald Trump and significant outside spending on her behalf.
NPR NewsAn abbreviated GOP primary campaign In the Aug. 11 special election, Graham received around 33% of the vote, while Norman got about 25%. A third candidate, U.S. Rep. Russell Fry placed third. The lack of an outright win for Graham shows GOP voters aren't fully sold on the Trump-back candidate.
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The contest had echoes of the 2024 presidential primary. Trump backed Graham Nordone, while former U.N. Ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley supported Norman, who had endorsed Haley against Trump two years earlier.
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NPR NewsHe also appeals to some Trump skeptics. While Norman aligned with the president politically, he endorsed his longtime friend former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley in her 2024 presidential bid against Trump.
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To that end, MAGA Inc., Trump’s super PAC, spent more than $827,000 on telephone calls and text messages encouraging voters to turn out for Graham Nordone, supplementing the likes of pro-green energy super PAC Invest in Tomorrow Coalition, spending $1 million against Norman after he advocated the repeal of federal solar and wind tax credits.
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NPR NewsTrump's super PAC, MAGA Inc., has also spent more than $827,000 on behalf of Graham.
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She couldn’t have been more correct. During his concession speech, Norman told supporters that he never understood why Trump got involved in the South Carolina race. Darline Graham is thanking her lucky stars that he did.
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Washington ExaminerSeawright also noted that Norman’s supporters booed during his concession speech when Trump’s endorsement of Graham Nordone was mentioned.
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Democratic strategist: ‘something’s going on’ when Trump ‘can only deliver 52 percent’ in South Carolina Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha said Wednesday he expected President Trump’s endorsement of Sen. Darline Graham (R-S.C.) to lead to a wider margin of victory for her in Tuesday’s GOP Senate runoff. Rocha explained in an appearance on NewsNation’s “CUOMO” that he thought Graham would win but “didn’t think it would be this close” given Trump…
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How Darline Graham’s Politics Compare With Her Brother’s as She Runs for Senate Senator Darline Graham has spoken far more about her desire to support President Trump’s agenda than she has talked about her brother’s political goals — or her own.
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The FederalistLindsey Graham may have been a staunch Trump ally, but he was no warrior for the MAGA cause. His sister, critics argued, is untested without a history of pro-Trump positions. The big fear: Darline Graham will become an empty vessel for Senate RINOs who have shrugged off much of Trump’s agenda as if that agenda didn’t put Republicans back in control of the Senate.
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But Graham isn't as hawkish as her brother. During the only candidate debate leading up to the runoff election, hosted by NewsMax, Graham caught heat for her answer on a question about the significance of Taiwan and the South China Sea.
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The FederalistJust days before Tuesday’s runoff, Graham stumbled badly, saying national security wasn’t her “thing” when asked about U.S. foreign policy in Taiwan and China during a debate.
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Independent claims that didn't surface elsewhere in our corpus. Treat as supplementary — not corroborated across outlets.
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01 Washington Examiner South Carolina Republican strategist David Wilson said Graham Nordone’s single-digit win underscores that the state is “still competitive” for 2028 GOP hopefuls. Wilson argued that many South Carolina Republicans “agree with certain MAGA principles,” but “don’t necessarily align themselves with the MAGA movement.”
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03 NPR News COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina Republican voters are returning to the polls Tuesday to decide who will replace the late Sen. Lindsey Graham on the general election ballot in November.
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04 The Federalist Graham will face Democrat Annie Andrews in November’s general election. Ruby red South Carolina has not elected a Democrat to Senate since before the turn of the 21st century.
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05 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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- huffpost
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- federalist
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- thehill
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- politico
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