Graham hopes Trump propels her across finish line in South Carolina
The Hill · C · trust 42/100
Comments: by Sarah Fortinsky - 08/25/26 6:00 AM ET Comments: Link copied by Sarah Fortinsky - 08/25/26 6:00 AM ET Comments: Link copied NOW PLAYING The South Carolina Senate runoff on Tuesday is becoming a key test of President Trump’s endorsement power, as he throws all his weight behind a political newcomer seeking to fill shoes left by her brother, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).
The race has divided the party between those who back Sen. Darline Graham (R-S.C.), who was tapped to serve out her brother’s term and whom Trump encouraged to run for another six years, and supporters of Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), a member of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus with a long history of representing the state.
Trump has leaned into the race in a way he has rarely done this midterm cycle, holding a campaign rally Friday night in Myrtle Beach, S.C., for Graham and attaching his own political clout to the outcome.
“What I really want you to do is pretend, please, that I’m on the ballot. Just come and vote. It’s so important,” Trump told supporters at a rally for Graham Friday night in Myrtle Beach.
“So just say that I’m on the ballot one more time,” the president added. “You got to say it, and you got to come out and vote.”
Trump’s MAGA Inc. also spent over $827,000 for Graham, marking the super PAC’s first independent expenditure since March.
Graham’s support has come from establishment Republicans , including the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the president himself , political action committees and business executives. The Palmetto State’s governor, who appointed Graham to her brother’s seat , is campaigning with the senator on Monday.
Norman, meanwhile, has self-funded much of his campaign and has leaned on his conservative policy chops, while accusing Graham of being “controlled by the Washington elite.”
But with such a short campaign window and a limited public record to run on, every move Graham has made matters.
So during last week’s debate, when Graham struggled to answer a rudimentary question on foreign policy — a subject matter that came to define much of her late brother’s legacy in public service — the moment came to dominate the news cycle.
“That’s the kind of thing that, if she does lose on Tuesday, I feel like we’ll be chalking entirely up to that,” Geoffrey Skelley, Decision Desk HQ’s chief elections analyst, said of the debate flub.
“Of course that would be simplistic, but if you’re not familiar, and you find yourself as the front-runner ... that really stands out as a defining moment for your candidacy,” he continued. “You can see how she might end up blowing this.”
Norman has pledged not to go negative on the campaign against Graham, saying last week, “She’s been through a lot. ... She really has, losing a brother. I’m not going to do that,” referring to his decision not to run antagonistic ads.
But the congressman has still highlighted Graham’s lack of political experience, both on the debate stage and in the days that followed.
“By her choice, she’s running for the United States Senate. It’s a six-year term,” Norman said during the debate. “You need to get fully versed in what issues you’re going to be dealing with. This isn’t a get-training-on-the-job. You can’t do that.”
At last week’s debate, Graham responded that she was “not that informed on national security” when asked whether Taiwan and the South China Sea are national security issues.
Graham then touted her family’s service in the military, saying she’s “not a polished politician up here. National security is not my thing, not my area of expertise, but I do support the military.”
In an interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity the following evening, Graham acknowledged the fumble and leaned into attacks on her lack of experience, saying she’s since talked to voters and they appreciate her candor and that she’s not a “career politician.”
“I tripped up on one question last night regarding Taiwan, but you know, I’ve said many times, I’m not a politician, certainly not a career politician. I don’t speak politician,” she said. “I was just honest, and I think that’s kind of a foreign concept.”
Trump echoed a similar defense when asked Friday about the gaffe, telling reporters that Graham “was being honest.”
“She’s surrounded by very good people, and she said that she’s totally for the military,” the president said.
As Graham has continued to brand herself as a political outsider, her opponent has repeatedly attacked her as the candidate backed by “the Washington elite,” pointing to her donors, which include Boeing’s political action committee, private equity firm Blackstone’s chief executive officer, social media platform TikTok’s head of public policy, and tech company Palantir’s head of defense chief of staff, according to South Carolina-based news outlet The State .
But Graham has pushed back on these efforts, saying earlier this month, according to The State, “When people give to me, that means they support me.”
“That doesn’t necessarily mean I support them,” she added.
The race has drawn millions of dollars from individual donors as well as from super PACs. In the last week of the race alone, Security is Strength PAC contributed more than $1.8 million and Palmetto Action gave nearly $1.2 million to boost Graham or oppose Norman, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) records. Invest in Tomorrow Coalition, a renewable energy-backed group, announced on Aug. 14 that it would…
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