Sen. Darline Graham’s lead in unpublished polls shrank in the days leading up to Tuesday’s Republican primary runoff, but that was before the president hosted a raucous rally for her Friday in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
“She only knows how to put America first. She will be somebody you’re gonna be very proud. You vote for her, you’re gonna be very proud of that vote,” Mr. Trump, who won the state by 18 percentage points in the last election, told thousands of supporters packed into the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.
Mr. Trump’s endorsement and get-out-the-vote rally, held in one of the state’s most populated areas, will undoubtedly provide a last-minute jolt to Ms. Graham’s campaign as she races to win the seat held for decades by her late brother Lindsey Graham.
It will also test the president’s influence over the electorate as South Carolina voters question whether Ms. Graham has the chops for a full Senate term.
She faces five-term Rep. Ralph Norman, a staunch conservative and member of the House Freedom Caucus, in Tuesday’s GOP runoff election.
Mr. Norman is running on his conservative credentials and experience representing South Carolinians in Congress.
“The Senate has become a place where good legislation goes to die, and as we elect our next U.S. Senator, we NEED a PROVEN conservative to take up the mantle and fight!” Mr. Norman posted on X. “I’m the only candidate in this race with the experience and the resume to take on this job.”
Mr. Trump’s rally for Ms. Graham followed a debate gaffe this month in which she said she was “not that informed on national security” when asked a question about China and Taiwan.
The stumble, coupled with her lack of experience in elected public office, provoked criticism and questions about Ms. Graham’s readiness to fill the role.
“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,” said former South Carolina Gov. and former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley, who endorsed Mr. Norman.
Political analysts noted that at the Myrtle Beach rally, Mr. Trump refrained from publicly trashing Mr. Norman, who could end up on the November ballot.
Mr. Norman has racked up key endorsements from the Conservative Political Action Conference, Turning Point USA, the Freedom Caucus and Tea Party Patriots and dozens of Republican leaders in the state.
An internal poll from Mr. Norman’s campaign, released last week, showed him beating Ms. Graham among likely voters, 52% to 40%, defying most public polling that shows Ms. Graham with a comfortable lead.
“She might win, but it will be close,” pollster Matt Towery told The Washington Times.
Some “highly reliable” internal polling, according to Mr. Towery, showed Ms. Graham dropping several points in recent days. She led Mr. Norman, however, in most public polling from this month and finished 8 points ahead of Mr. Norman in the Aug. 11 primary.
Ms. Graham was appointed last month by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster to finish the final months of her late brother’s fourth term. Graham died suddenly on July 11 after suffering an aortic dissection in his Capitol Hill home.
Soon after Ms. Graham was sworn in, Mr. Trump called on her to run for a full term and replace her brother on the November ballot.
Since taking office, she has voted in favor of a voter ID bill that is the president’s top legislative priority and a bill written by her late brother that would impose sanctions on Russia and Iran, and stiff tariffs on nations that purchase Russian energy.
Ms. Graham is endorsed by top Republican leaders, including Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, National Republican Senatorial Committee’s chairman.
On NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Mr. Scott called Ms. Graham “highly qualified, incredibly competent, ready for prime time.”
