GOP party fissures exposed in battle for S.C. Senate seat to replace Graham: 'I don't like hearing that'
The five GOP candidates that appeared in South Carolina’s U.S. Senate debate on Monday evening touched on several key issues of national importance as they made their case to fill...
By Fox News · Fox News
The five GOP candidates that appeared in South Carolina’s U.S. Senate debate on Monday evening touched on several key issues of national importance as they made their case to fill the seat of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham , R-S.C., who died while in office last month. Although candidates remained united on broad issues of party consensus, the debate exposed a fraying of opinion on topics like the war in Iran , U.S. government spending, the filibuster and datacenter expansion, highlighting the influence of even just one Senate seat . The candidates include Sen. Darlene Graham Nordone, R-S.C., Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., Rep. Russel Fry, R-S.C., businessman Mark Lynch, and former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford. REPUBLICANS DEFY TRUMP, JUMP INTO SOUTH CAROLINA SENATE RACE DESPITE HIS HANDPICKED SUCCESSOR The biggest clash of the night came from Graham’s own sister, the appointee currently filling his seat. Nordone, who received President Donald Trump’s endorsement, announced she would vote to end the filibuster — a procedural hurdle that prevents the chamber from passing most legislation without 60 votes. Republicans currently hold 53 seats in the chamber. "And I am all for — this is where I differ from my brother — getting rid of the filibuster to get this done because eventually the Democrats are going to get rid of it anyway," Nordone said, noting the major break with her late brother. While supporters of the filibuster argue it prevents parties from strongarming their views into law without bipartisan input, acting as one of the country's last bastions of moderation, the rule has throttled several Republican priorities called for by President Donald Trump, including national voter identification legislation. Mark Sanford, another candidate who formerly served as governor of South Carolina, also touched on a topic of controversy on Monday by alluding that Congress — not the president’s discretion — should set the direction for the war in Iran. "Only Congress has th…