South Carolina Republicans voted in a special runoff Tuesday to decide who will replace the late Senator Lindsey Graham on the November ballot. In the end, they wanted another Graham.
The Runoff
As reported on Wednesday’s AM Update, the late senator’s sister, interim Senator Darline Graham, faced off against Congressman Ralph Norman to take on Democrat nominee and pediatrician Annie Andrews after neither secured the 50 percent of the vote needed in the special primary held August 11. Graham finished first in that race, taking nearly 33 percent of the vote compared to Norman’s roughly 25 percent.
Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Graham to serve the remaining months of her brother’s term following his sudden death in July. President Trump reportedly urged the governor to make the appointment and then encouraged Graham to run for a full six-year term.
The appointment marked her first public office and this campaign is the first time she has ever sought the support of voters. Congressman Norman, meanwhile, has a lengthier political resume. He has represented South Carolina in Congress since 2017, where he is a member of the House Freedom Caucus. He ran for governor earlier this year but finished third and failed to advance to the runoff.
The discrepancy came into focus last week when Graham and Norman squared off in the first and only debate ahead of the runoff. Graham’s answer to a question about whether Taiwan and the South China Sea are “national security issues for the United States” made national headlines after she admitted that national security is “not my thing.”
Graham’s Support
Much of South Carolina’s Republican establishment rallied behind Graham once she reached the final round. Sen. Tim Scott endorsed her on the first day of the runoff, followed by Lieutenant Gov. Pamela Evette, and then Gov. McMaster.
President Trump also poured considerable political capital into Graham’s campaign, endorsing her, encouraging his supporters to treat the runoff as though his own name were on the ballot, and traveling to Myrtle Beach for a rally on Friday.
A Graham victory demonstrates his ability to propel a largely unknown first-time candidate past an experienced conservative congressman.
The Final Tally
With 95 percent of the vote reported, Graham captured 52.5 percent of the vote compared to Nolan’s 47.5 percent.
Addressing supporters, Graham remembered her brother while thanking voters for the chance to build a legacy of her own. “South Carolina Republicans, I humbly accept your nomination to serve as the Republican nominee for the United States Senate from the great state of South Carolina. Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she said.
“First, I want to thank the good Lord, who got us through these past few weeks and gave me and my family the strength to keep going,” she added. “I continue to miss Lindsey every day, and there is still a big hole in my heart, but I know he’s looking down right now, very proud of everyone in this room.”
The Republican nominee is heavily favored in a state where Democrats have not won statewide office in two decades.
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