Darline Graham Nordone defeats Ralph Norman in South Carolina Senate GOP runoff
Washington Examiner · RC · trust 55/100
Sen. Darline Graham Nordone (R-SC) won South Carolina ’s Republican Senate special primary runoff Tuesday, defeating Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) and moving one step closer to securing a full term in the seat previously held by her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham .
With 89% of the vote counted, Graham Nordone had 52.3% of the vote compared with Norman’s 47.7%, according to the Associated Press .
Graham Nordone’s victory caps an unusual and abbreviated campaign that began after Lindsey Graham died unexpectedly in July , leaving Republicans scrambling to replace the longtime senator both in Washington and on the November ballot.
Gov. Henry McMaster (R-SC) appointed Graham Nordone to temporarily fill her brother’s seat just days after his death. President Donald Trump then encouraged her to seek a full six-year term and quickly endorsed her bid.
Graham Nordone, who had never previously held elected office, emerged from a crowded 10-candidate Republican primary earlier this month as the top vote-getter. She received roughly 33% of the vote, while Norman finished second with about 25%, sending the two Republicans to a runoff after neither received the majority required to win outright.
The race quickly became another test of Trump’s influence over Republican primary voters. Norman, a five-term congressman who recently finished third in the GOP gubernatorial primary, sought to make the case that his years in elected office and conservative record made him better prepared for the Senate. Graham Nordone, meanwhile, leaned into her status as a political outsider while highlighting Trump’s support and her family’s long ties to South Carolina politics.
Trump traveled to Myrtle Beach in the closing days of the runoff to campaign alongside Graham Nordone, standing by his endorsed candidate after a debate performance that raised fresh questions about her lack of political experience.
During the debate, Graham Nordone acknowledged that she was “not that informed on national security” when asked about Taiwan and the South China Sea. The comment quickly drew criticism from Norman and other Republicans, including former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who backed Norman.
Trump defended Graham Nordone following the debate, praising her for being candid about what she did not know and reiterating his support for her campaign during his South Carolina rally. The president’s intervention came as Republicans divided over which candidate should succeed Lindsey Graham.
Graham Nordone picked up endorsements from several prominent Republicans, including Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) and Rep. Russell Fry (R-SC), who finished behind Norman in the initial primary. Norman, meanwhile, secured the backing of former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, who cited Norman’s focus on federal spending and the national debt in announcing his support.
Graham Nordone will now face Democratic nominee Annie Andrews in November. The Republican nominee will enter the general election as the favorite in a state that has not elected a Democratic senator in decades. Lindsey Graham won reelection in 2020 by roughly 10 percentage points, while Trump carried South Carolina by an even wider margin in 2024.
For Graham Nordone, Tuesday’s result also represents a rapid political ascent. Before entering the Senate last month, she spent much of her career working in disability services and most recently led the South Carolina Commission for the Blind.
Her relationship with her brother has also been central to the unusual circumstances surrounding the race. After their parents died when the siblings were young, Lindsey Graham became his younger sister’s legal guardian and later adopted her so she could receive military benefits.
Graham Nordone has sought to honor her brother’s legacy while also drawing distinctions between the two, particularly by emphasizing domestic concerns such as affordability rather than the foreign policy issues that became a defining feature of Lindsey Graham’s Senate career.
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) defeated Sen. Darline Graham Nordone (R-SC) in South Carolina ‘s Republican Senate runoff Tuesday, overcoming President Donald Trump’s endorsement of his opponent to win the GOP nomination for the seat previously held by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham .
With XX % of the vote counted, Norman had XX % of the vote compared with Graham Nordone’s XX %, according to the Associated Press .
Norman’s victory represents a high-profile setback for Trump, who threw his support behind Graham Nordone shortly after her brother’s death and personally traveled to South Carolina in the closing days of the race to help push her across the finish line.
Graham Nordone entered the runoff having finished first in the initial 10-candidate Republican primary with nearly 33% of the vote. Norman, a five-term congressman who recently finished third in the GOP gubernatorial primary, finished second with roughly 25%, forcing a runoff after no candidate secured a majority.
But Norman spent the abbreviated runoff arguing that his conservative record and experience in Congress made him better prepared for the Senate than Graham Nordone, who had never held elected office before Gov. Henry McMaster (R-SC) appointed her to fill the remainder of her brother’s term last month.
Graham Nordone faced heightened scrutiny in the final stretch after acknowledging during a debate that she was “not that informed on national security” while responding to a question about Taiwan and the South China Sea. Norman seized on the remark to argue that Graham Nordone was not prepared for the job.
Trump stood by Graham Nordone and campaigned on her behalf, while Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) also defended her qualifications. Norman, meanwhile, picked up support from former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, who endorsed the congressman while pointing to his focus on federal spending and the national debt.
Norman will now face Democratic nominee Annie Andrews in the November general…
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