Darline Graham Wins South Carolina GOP Senate Runoff Nomination

Darline Graham secured the Republican nomination for South Carolina’s U.S. Senate seat in a runoff primary on August 25, 2026. The political newcomer, appointed in July to complete the term of her late brother Lindsey Graham, defeated Representative Ralph Norman by a margin of roughly 52.5 percent to 47.5 percent with nearly all ballots counted, according to the Associated Press and Decision Desk HQ.

Lindsey Graham died suddenly in July from what the medical examiner’s office attributed to an aortic dissection. South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster appointed Darline Graham, previously head of the state Commission for the Blind, to finish the remaining months of the term. President Donald Trump endorsed her candidacy shortly afterward and campaigned for her in Myrtle Beach on August 22, urging supporters to treat the race as if his name were on the ballot. The super PAC MAGA Inc. spent more than $800,000 supporting her, per campaign finance reports cited across outlets.

Norman, a five-term congressman and Freedom Caucus member first elected in a 2017 special election, received endorsements from Senators Rick Scott and Mike Lee. During the campaign Graham acknowledged limited foreign policy experience; in a debate she stated she was “not that informed on national security” when asked about Taiwan and the South China Sea. Former Governor Nikki Haley publicly criticized the remark. Turnout in the runoff was low, with local officials citing voter fatigue.

Graham will face Democrat Annie Andrews, a pediatrician, in the November general election. The Cook Political Report rates the seat as solidly Republican; no Democrat has won a statewide race in South Carolina since 2006. The outcome occurred alongside a Trump-backed victory in Oklahoma’s gubernatorial runoff, interrupting a recent string of losses for the president’s endorsed candidates in other states.