Trump rallies for Darline Graham ahead of South Carolina runoff

President Donald Trump urged South Carolina Republicans on Friday to treat Tuesday’s Senate runoff as another vote for him, throwing his weight behind appointed Sen. Darline Graham as she tries to hold off Rep. Ralph Norman after a shaky debate performance and a first-round primary showing that exposed doubts within the GOP base.

“Just come and vote,” Trump told supporters at a Myrtle Beach rally. “Just say that I’m on the ballot one more time.” He also asked them to “pretend, please, that I’m on the ballot.”

Graham, a Republican appointed by South Carolina’s governor to finish the term of her elder brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, after he died suddenly last month at 71, faces Norman in Tuesday’s special primary runoff. The winner will be a heavy favorite in November against Democratic nominee Dr. Annie Andrews in the red state.

Trump said he had encouraged Graham to run after her brother’s death. “I can’t believe he’s not here, even,” he said. “I went to her and I said, ‘You got to run, Darline.’” At the rally, he told the crowd, “I asked her to do this. She only knows how to put America first. She will be somebody you’re going to be very proud.”

The runoff is another test of Trump’s endorsement power. Graham led the Aug. 11 crowded primary but received only 33% of the vote, short of the majority needed to avoid a runoff. Norman, a five-term congressman and member of the House Freedom Caucus, finished second.

Some Trump supporters at the rally said his endorsement was enough. “Honestly, I don’t know as much about the platforms there, but if Trump supports her, I do too,” Republican voter Lynn Spivey said. Don Fulcher said he was voting for Graham “because Trump’s endorsing her,” adding that the endorsement matters “a lot, because she’s going to support him also.”

Others were not convinced. Daniel Musick, a Myrtle Beach voter who called Trump “the best president we’ve ever had,” said he would vote for Norman. “It’s just that she’s untested. I don’t know enough about her,” he said.

Graham’s candidacy has come under scrutiny after Tuesday’s GOP debate. Asked whether Taiwan and the South China Sea are U.S. national security issues, she said, “I’m not that informed on national security.” She also said there are “50 million people in South Carolina,” though the state’s population is just under 5.6 million.

Musick said the Taiwan and China answer made it “really unclear that she knew her foreign policy.” Roger, a Myrtle Beach voter wearing a black “DARK MAGA” T-shirt who asked that his last name not be published, said Trump’s endorsement carries “weight” but that he remained undecided. “Her people should have briefed her a little bit more,” he said.

Trump defended Graham before leaving for South Carolina, telling reporters she was “very smart” and “was being honest.” He added, “She understands that national security is my thing.” At the rally, he drew a contrast between Graham and her late brother: “Her brother was very much about the world. He focused very much on that. That’s good. That’s fine. But she’s more about affordability.”

Graham also answered critics who question her readiness. “Now the critics say I shouldn’t run for the Senate. They say I’m not a politician. You know what I say? Guilty as charged,” she said, noting that Trump had not held elected office before becoming president.

Norman has argued Graham is not prepared for the Senate while emphasizing his support for Trump’s agenda. Graham sought to turn his long tenure against him, saying, “I’ve done more in 20 days than Ralph Norman has done in 20 years.” She added, “We already have enough problem Democrats. We don’t need a problem Republican.”

Rep. Russell Fry, who finished third in the initial primary with nearly 20% of the vote, appeared at the rally and has endorsed Graham. Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso and Sen. Tim Scott also appeared. Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, who finished fourth, endorsed Norman on Friday, saying Norman “holds the best shot at holding the line” on spending and deficits as the national debt reaches $40 trillion.