Darline Graham and Rep. Ralph Norman emerged from a 10-candidate Republican field Tuesday and will meet in an Aug. 25 runoff for the GOP nomination to fill the U.S. Senate seat previously held by Graham’s late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Republican Sen. Darline Graham and Rep. Ralph Norman advanced Tuesday to an Aug. 25 runoff after neither candidate secured the Republican nomination outright in the special primary for the South Carolina Senate seat previously held by Graham’s late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Darline Graham, whom Republican Gov. Henry McMaster appointed to complete the remainder of her brother’s term, was leading Norman by nine percentage points at the time of this writing, according to The Associated Press.
The runoff follows a crowded contest involving 10 Republican candidates seeking the nomination. In addition to Graham and Norman, the field included Rep. Russell Fry, former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford and businessman Mark Lynch.
Graham’s entrance into the campaign surprised some South Carolina Republicans, while the race also became a forum for several candidates to distinguish themselves from Lindsey Graham, particularly on foreign policy and the balance between international and domestic priorities.
Darline Graham announced July 20 that she would seek a full six-year Senate term, several weeks after McMaster selected her to serve out her brother’s term. President Donald Trump endorsed her Aug. 4, placing his support behind Graham before the special Republican primary.
“During her visit, I asked Darline, for the Good of our Nation, to run for the U.S. Senate in the Special Republican Primary on Tuesday, August 11, 2026,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “She accepted, as there is nobody better to honor the legacy of her beloved brother, Lindsey. Darline, who comes from an absolutely incredible family, has been a WINNER all of her life, and has my Complete and Total Endorsement in the Special Election for U.S. Senate in South Carolina — SHE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”
Before Graham entered the contest, Trump said he would consider supporting Fry if she decided against seeking the seat, according to NOTUS. Fry campaigned as a conservative MAGA and America First candidate and emphasized concerns affecting voters at home, including the cost of living.
Norman entered the Senate contest after recently seeking the Republican nomination for governor, a race in which he finished third in the primary.
Lynch, meanwhile, returned to the Senate race after he lost to Lindsey Graham in the June 9 Republican primary. Lynch ran in both contests as an America First candidate and made opposition to the late senator’s hawkish foreign policy record a central part of his campaign.
Darline Graham generally aligned herself with Trump during the campaign, but she also drew a distinction between herself and her late brother on Senate procedure, saying she supports eliminating the filibuster.
“This is where I differ from my brother, getting rid of the filibuster to get this done, because eventually the Democrats are gonna get rid of it anyway,” Graham said.
Her differences with Republican Senate leadership also surfaced over the August recess. Graham called for the recess to be canceled so senators could act on the Safeguard America Voter Eligibility, or SAVE, America Act, putting her at odds with Senate Majority Leader John Thune. Trump, Republican Utah Sen. Mike Lee and other senators likewise called for lawmakers to remain in Washington, while Thune maintained that keeping the Senate in session would not result in passage of the legislation.
Graham was one of 11 Republican senators who entered a statement into the Congressional Record saying they would have objected to the summer recess had a roll call vote taken place Friday.
A source familiar with the matter told the Daily Caller News Foundation Monday that senators seeking to stop the recess lacked enough support to obtain the required second necessary to force a roll call vote.
Differences over foreign policy, spending and Republican Senate leadership were also on display when Graham, Fry, Norman, Sanford and Lynch met for an Aug. 3 debate.
The candidates broadly argued that South Carolina’s next senator should place greater emphasis on domestic matters than Lindsey Graham had during his tenure.
“Foreign policy is important,” Fry said. “It is an important issue as the United States leads the world in a lot of ways. But for me, I think it’s really important to focus back home, to focus on your family.”
Sanford and Norman emphasized fiscal responsibility during the debate. Lynch pointed to the national debt reaching $39 trillion while again criticizing Lindsey Graham’s foreign policy record. None of the candidates said they would support Thune as Senate majority leader.
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