South Carolina Republicans choose Graham or Norman in Senate runoff

South Carolina Republicans vote Tuesday in a compressed Senate runoff that pits newly appointed Sen. Darline Graham against Rep. Ralph Norman, ending a 45-day campaign set off by the sudden death of Sen. Lindsey Graham in July.

The winner will replace Lindsey Graham on the Republican ballot in November’s midterm election against Dr. Annie Andrews, a pediatrician who won the Democratic primary in June. South Carolina remains heavily Republican; Democrats have not won statewide there in two decades, and the state has just one Democratic member of Congress.

“This is not the normal way of things,” Reese Boyd, chair of the Horry County Republican Party, said Monday of the abbreviated contest. “This is something that usually lasts at least, you know, the better part of a year. People normally spend the better part of 18 months getting ready for it. Who knows? This may be the right way to do it? Who knows.”

Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Darline Graham, Lindsey Graham’s sister, to serve the rest of his term, which ends early next year. Because Lindsey Graham had already won the Republican primary, state law required a new election to replace him on the ballot. Darline Graham led the Aug. 11 special primary with nearly 33% of the vote, while Norman took almost 25%, forcing a runoff because no candidate won a majority.

Darline Graham, 62, entered the race as a political newcomer after a career in public service, most recently as commissioner of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind. She has cast her campaign as an effort to “carry my brother Lindsey’s legacy,” while also saying she would chart her own path. She has described herself as “a problem solver, a critical thinker, and a leader.”

Her lack of elected experience has become the central attack line for Norman, especially after a debate exchange on Taiwan and the South China Sea. “I’m not a polished politician,” Graham said. “National security is not my thing, not my area of expertise, but I do support the military.” In another appearance, she said, “I don’t speak politician — I was just honest,” adding, “Of course Taiwan is our friend. But I think people in South Carolina are more worried about boys in girls’ sports.”

Norman has argued the comments show she is unprepared for the Senate. “South Carolina deserves a Senator who UNDERSTANDS Foreign Policy,” he wrote on social media. “I’m a PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH supporter! No more forever wars!” He also compared her candidacy to asking Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney to start a recruit because the person was related to Tom Brady.

Norman, 73, has represented South Carolina’s 5th Congressional District since 2017 and is a longtime member of the House Freedom Caucus. He has presented himself as an experienced conservative, calling Graham an “unknown candidate.” Talking Points Memo reported that Norman sent a January 2021 text to then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows urging Donald Trump to invoke “Marshall Law” to block certification of Joe Biden’s victory. The outlet also reported that Norman has a strict anti-abortion and pro-Second Amendment voting record and regularly opposes debt ceiling increases and large spending bills.

Trump has endorsed Graham, campaigned for her in Myrtle Beach last week and held a tele-rally for her Monday. “I asked her to do this,” Trump said Friday. “I said, ‘Darline, you gotta do it.’” He described his support as a favor to his late friend Lindsey Graham and urged supporters to vote as if he were on the ballot.

“The problem that we have is, they say that Trump does great when he’s on the ballot, but when he’s not on the ballot, his people don’t come,” Trump said. “So what I really want you to do is pretend, please, that I’m on the ballot. Just come and vote.”

Graham is also backed by Sen. Tim Scott, who said he is “confident she’s the real deal.” Norman is backed by former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, whom he supported over Trump in the 2024 Republican presidential primary. Haley criticized Graham after the debate, writing on X: “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.”