Lindsey Graham’s Sister Darline Wins South Carolina GOP Runoff
Lindsey Graham's legacy in Washington, D.C. could live on through his sister Darline. The late senator's sister won the Republican primary run-off election in South Carolina this week, pushing her through to the November midterm elections.
Lindsey Graham's Sister Wins Primary Run-Off to Head to the Midterms
South Carolina Sen. Darline Graham beat Rep. Ralph Norman in Tuesday's run-off election in the Palmetto State. Graham inched by Norman with 52.4% of the votes with 93% of the ballots counted. According to the Associated Press, Norman won 47.6% of the votes.
Graham is a newcomer on the political scene, both in South Carolina and in Washington, D.C. The 62-year-old was appointed to the South Carolina Senate seat temporarily following the sudden death of her brother, Lindsey Graham, in July. While Graham was easily shooed into the role left by her deceased older brother, she still had to run in the special election in order to be on the ballot in the midterms.
Democratic nominee Annie Andrews will take on Graham in the November election. Andrews, a pediatrician and liberal stalwart, faces a daunting task if she wants to win the election. The conservative state of South Carolina has not sent a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1998. In other words, the run-off election might have likely been the biggest roadblock that Graham had to clear on her way to the nation's capital. She will undoubtedly enter the November midterms as the heavy favorite.
President Donald Trump went all in on Graham after her brother passed, giving her his full endorsement to continue past the temporary appointment. Trump visited Myrtle Beach last week to campaign alongside Graham. During an event on Friday, August 21, the president told supporters, "I'll make you a deal that if Darline wins, I’ll come down and play the best golfer in Myrtle Beach in a match." Trump went on to say that “Lindsey respected Darline more than any other person he knows, including me. That does not make me happy. I’m not happy about that.”
In addition to the event on Friday, Trump also hosted a tele-rally on Monday evening. The president's allied super PAC contributed $830,000 late in the game to push Graham over the finish line. During her election night party on Tuesday in Columbia, Graham credited Trump for helping her to secure the win.
As one of Trump's most ardent supporters in Congress, the former Sen. Lindsey Graham died suddenly at the age of 71 shortly after returning home from a trip to Ukraine. It was only three days later that his sister was sworn in to temporarily represent South Carolina in the Senate. President Trump urged South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster to appoint Darline Graham to the vacated seat.
Graham and Norman Faced Off in Contentious Run-Off Election
Despite not having any concrete political experience, Graham showed out well in the August 11 primary, triggering a run-off election between her and Norman. It appeared as if Graham's campaign was going nowhere after a poor showing in a debate. When asked about China and Taiwan during the event, she repeatedly admitted that she was "not that informed on national security."
She later defended those comments during an interview on Fox & Friends, saying that she was more worried about the price of groceries rather than what is happening in Taiwan.
The run-off race turned a bit hostile between Graham and Norman in the days leading up to the debate. Norman is best known for his current stint as a five-term congressman, as well as his role as vice chair of the House Freedom Caucus in Washington, D.C.
Graham pointed out that Norman often voted against the Trump administration. In response, Norman said that his opponent won the endorsement of Trump because of nepotism.
Norman went so far as to tell the media that Trump's endorsement of a candidate with no political experience was a "head scratcher." Drawing on the state's love of college football, Norman compared her experience to a prospective college football player whose only qualification was that they were related to Tom Brady.
Alongside Trump and McMaster, Graham also had the support of South Carolina GOP Sen. Tim Scott. Conversely, Norman had endorsements from former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, South Carolina GOP Rep. Nancy Mace, former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, and former GOP Sen. Jim DeMint.
Supporters of Graham said that she endeared herself to voters precisely because of her distance from politics her whole life. Graham seized on this sentiment, telling voters during the debate that “I’d rather be out in South Carolina meeting the voters than here on this stage with you."
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