Trump may have endorsed Darline Graham, but GOP Senate hopefuls aren’t backing down
As the starting gun in the Republican race to succeed the late Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina is officially fired, the showdown is shaping up as the latest test...
By Fox News · Fox News
As the starting gun in the Republican race to succeed the late Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina is officially fired, the showdown is shaping up as the latest test of President Donald Trump's immense clout over the GOP and the power of his endorsements in party primaries. On the eve of Tuesday's kickoff of a week-long filing period for the Aug. 11 primary, Sen. Darline Graham, who was appointed last week to fill the remainder of her late brother's term, announced in an interview on Fox News' Hannity that she's running for a full six-year term in the Senate. Graham's announcement came three days after she met with Trump at the White House and the president gave her his "complete and total endorsement" as he encouraged her to run. But Trump's backing of Graham, while extremely potent, isn't deterring other Republicans from jumping into the race. WHO'S UP AND WHO'S DOWN: CHECK OUT THE FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS ON THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS " South Carolina voters want to have a choice and not be told who they need to be voting for," Palmetto State-based Republican consultant Dave Wilson told Fox News Digital. Veteran Republican strategist and communicator Ryan Williams noted that "the Trump endorsement is a major boost for any candidacy, but it doesn’t necessarily give you a lock on the seat." "Senate seats in South Carolina do not come up very often and politics is all about timing. You’ve got to seize the opportunity when it presents itself," Williams told Fox News Digital. "If you’re an aspiring House member in South Carolina, this is your time to run regardless of whom the president is supporting." Republican Rep. Ralph Norman, who unsuccessfully campaigned this year for the GOP gubernatorial nomination in the race to succeed term-limited South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, announced his intention to run this past weekend. WHAT DARLINE GRAHAM TOLD FOX NEWS' SEAN HANNITY And on Monday, Republican Rep. Russell Fry jumped into the race. Businessman Mark Lynch, who lost…