South Carolina GOP Senate showdown heads to runoff in race to succeed Lindsey Graham
Appointed Sen. Darline Graham has advanced to a runoff election in the special Republican Senate primary in South Carolina, the Associated Press reported, in the race to succeed the late...
By Fox News · Fox News
Appointed Sen. Darline Graham has advanced to a runoff election in the special Republican Senate primary in South Carolina, the Associated Press reported, in the race to succeed the late Sen. Lindsey Graham . With no candidate topping 50% of the vote, Sen. Darline Graham will be joined by one other contender in the runoff in two weeks, in a primary field that included Rep. Ralph Norman, Rep. Russell Fry, former Gov. and former Rep. Mark Sanford. Tuesday's primary was held one month to the day after the late longtime senator suddenly died at age 71. The nomination showdown is the latest test of President Donald Trump 's immense grip over the GOP and the power of his endorsements in Republican primaries, as the president backed Graham, who is the late senator's younger sister. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster last month appointed Graham to fill the remainder of the current Senate term, which concludes at the end of the year. REPUBLICANS DEFY TRUMP, JUMP INTO SOUTH CAROLINA SENATE RACE DESPITE HIS HANDPICKED SUCCESSOR Graham, as she voted on Tuesday, said she's running to help "President Trump get his agenda passed." Norman, who unsuccessfully campaigned this year for the GOP gubernatorial nomination in the race to succeed term-limited South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, and Fry, a two-term congressman, are both House allies of Trump and also showcased their support for the president in their Senate campaigns. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB Sanford, who briefly launched a long-shot and unsuccessful White House GOP nomination challenge against Trump in the 2020 presidential primaries, is known as a fiscally conservative budget hawk. Sanford pointed to the nation's debt as a key motivator behind his decision to launch a Senate campaign. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER The large field of GOP contenders also included businessman Mark Lynch, who lost to Lindsey Graham by nearly 30 points in the June Republican Senate primary. The Tru…