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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.
After 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.
The outcome of Tuesday’s race will test President Trump’s influence in the state.
The past month and a half has been a scramble to replace the state’s senior U.S. Senator who had just secured the nomination in the June primary for his fifth U.S. Senate term before dying from a heart condition on July 11.
South 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.
But Graham failed to secure the amount of votes needed to avoid a runoff election.
A competitive primary tests President Trump’s influence
The race is shaping up to be one of Trump’s biggest bets of the midterm primary cycle. Trump encouraged Graham to run, endorsed her, and held a rally for her in South Carolina ahead of the runoff election.
Trump’s super PAC, MAGA Inc., has also spent more than $827,000 on behalf of Graham.
“I’m doing this to honor Lindsey. That’s why I’m here,” Trump said at the Myrtle Beach rally on Aug. 21. “So, Darline, we got to win that race.”
Trump’s significant personal and financial investment into the race is rare.
His PAC wallet has been mostly shut during several close Republican primaries this election cycle.
And in some tough primary races, the president’s support hasn’t been a silver bullet. Trump has seen primary defeats in Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan, Wyoming and even in South Carolina during the gubernatorial primary in June.
60-year-old Ray Saldi voted for Graham, but he said the endorsements from officials in support of her were not what solidified the decision. The familiar last name and near-blank political slate pulled him in.
“I really liked her brother, Lindsey Graham. I just wanted to make sure that she’s truly genuine to the people of South Carolina,” he said.
To Saldi, it felt as though Graham would be more willing to put South Carolina above all else.
An 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.
Despite her lack of political experience, Graham inherited a seasoned campaign machine. Her brother had been in elected office since 1995, when Lindsey Graham initially served in the House. She is also leaning on the legacy of her brother during the campaign, who had a state and Washington team with a solid reputation for their constituent services.
She told supporters in Aiken, South Carolina on Monday that her brother’s legacy is one she wishes to continue in a full term.
“I want to continue to fight to finish what he was doing. He helped this state. He brought resources to this state. And you know what? If we don’t bring them here, they’re going to go somewhere else, right?”
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.
“I’m just going to be honest here,” she said. “I’m not that informed on national security.”
The response from Graham prompted ‘boos’ from the audience. It also presented a weak spot. Lindsey Graham was known for his aggressive defense on U.S. national security and dedicated his career to foreign policy issues.
Rep. Norman, on the other hand, does have political experience as a five-term Congressman. Earlier this year, Rep. Norman ran for South Carolina governor but came in third place. During his short campaign for Senate, Norman has leaned on his political experience as a reason why voters should send him to the chamber.
Voting earlier on Tuesday, Rep. Norman leaned into his underdog role in this race.
“I love being an underdog,” he said. “I think our people are going to get out and vote. I think they’re excited. The electricity that we’ve had has been great.”
He 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.
Haley has returned that support to the tune of more than $700,000 in outside money from PACs aligned with her. That makes Haley the biggest outside player supporting Norman, with whom she also served in the state House of Representatives several years before being elected governor in 2010.
However, voters across parties have been bucking the political class by voting for anti-establishment candidates this election cycle. Graham has definitely used the fact she isn’t a career politician to her advantage.
“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,” Sen. Graham said during the Myrtle Beach rally. “By the way, President Trump has never served in elected office before and I think he’s done a damn good job.”
Whoever wins the runoff election will face the Democratic nominee Annie Andrews, a pediatrician, in November. The seat is considered to be a safe Republican win.
South Carolina Public Radio’s Luis-Alfredo Garcia contributed to this report.
