Sen. Darline Graham defeated Rep. Ralph Norman in Tuesday's GOP runoff with 52.5% of the vote, locking up the Republican nomination for her late brother Lindsey Graham's Senate seat.
Sen. Darline Graham won South Carolina's Republican primary runoff Tuesday night, defeating Rep. Ralph Norman to claim the GOP nomination for the Senate seat once held by her late brother, Lindsey Graham. The Associated Press called the race at 8 p.m. ET with nearly all ballots counted, showing Graham with 52.5% of the vote to Norman's 47.6%.
The victory is another win for President Donald Trump's endorsement power. Trump recruited Graham into the race, endorsed her early, campaigned for her, and saw his MAGA Inc. super PAC pour roughly $827,000 into the contest.
Tuesday's runoff was widely seen as a test of Trump's political muscle in a primary where both candidates ran as conservatives. Norman, a congressman since 2017, aligned with much of the Trump agenda but backed Nikki Haley over Trump in the 2024 Republican primaries -- a choice the Graham campaign and Trump allies hammered throughout the race.
Trump's investment in the contest was striking for a special-election runoff. Federal Election Commission records show MAGA Inc. had spent only about $18,000 on this year's midterm races before committing nearly $1 million to boost Graham.
Graham also locked up support from Sen. Tim Scott, giving her the backing of South Carolina's senior senator alongside the president's full-throated endorsement.
The outcome stands as the latest sign that Trump's endorsement remains the most valuable asset in Republican primaries as the midterm cycle heats up.
Darline Graham now carries one of the most prominent names in Republican politics. Her brother, Lindsey Graham, died suddenly on July 11 at age 71 from a tear in his aorta, roughly a month after winning the June primary with 57% of the vote. Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Darline to serve out the remainder of the term, and Tuesday's result puts her on track to keep the seat in GOP hands for a full six-year term.
Lindsey Graham was a giant in the Senate -- a foreign policy hawk, a relentless critic of Iran, and a firm supporter of Ukraine and Israel who became one of Trump's closest allies in Congress. He was also Darline's legal guardian after the deaths of their parents, and he often spoke about the bond they shared.
Darline's own political views were largely unknown when she arrived in Washington. She has kept her head down on Capitol Hill, often dodging impromptu interviews, and has built her campaign on affordability and her endorsement from Trump.
Graham will face Democrat Dr. Annie Andrews in the general election, though the seat is rated safely Republican. Her campaign has hit a few speed bumps along the way. In a debate last week, she drew criticism after saying she is "not that informed on national security" when asked about Taiwan and the South China Sea.
"I'm not a polished politician," she said. "National security is not my thing, not my area of expertise, but I do support the military."
She has also fielded questions about squaring her affordability message with the administration's firm line on Iran. She told Fox News earlier this month that she knows "the price of gas is a little high right now," but added, "I believe in [Trump] when it comes to dealing with Iran."
For Republicans, Tuesday night is a promising signal ahead of the midterms: a Trump-backed candidate beat back a sitting congressman in a race that tested the president's endorsement. With the primary behind her, Darline Graham now turns to November and a chance to keep her brother's seat in Republican hands.
Sen. Darline Graham defeated Rep. Ralph Norman in Tuesday's GOP runoff with 52.5% of the vote, locking up the Republican nomination for her late brother Lindsey Graham's Senate seat.
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