Sen. Darline Graham at her primary night victory party on August 25, 2026
South Carolina’s Senate contest is a real race this year, with Republicans spending millions trying to save the seat long held by the late GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham. And President Donald Trump is directly to blame for the fact that Republicans are sweating out in a state he carried by roughly 18 percentage points two years ago.
Trump’s tariffs and war in Iran have spiked fuel and fertilizer prices have been devastating to the agricultural industry, which happens to be the biggest industry in the Palmetto State. The rising struggles in rural America have led to a backlash from Republican voters, many of whom are threatening to stay home or even vote for Democrats this year.
But it’s also because Trump personally got involved in trying to choose Graham’s successor.
Trump settled on replacing his late friend with Graham’s sister, Darline Nardone Graham. He effectively had her appointed her the seat, then endorsed her special primary bid, despite the fact that her only qualification for the job was sharing DNA with the seat’s former occupant.
Since ascending to the Senate and running a campaign for a full term, Darline Graham has proven herself to be as wholly unqualified as people feared. She has no grasp of the important issues she is tasked with legislating. And she has no political talents, top among them the ability to fundraise, which Graham has proven herself incapable of doing.
Now, even some dyed-in-the-wool Republicans are deeply skeptical of her.
“The voters in South Carolina are not buying the argument that everyone has to ‘settle’ for a candidate that has been propped up by special interest groups and a Republican president spending millions of dollars spreading false narratives about why Darline Graham is qualified to be elected to the U.S. Senate for the next six years!!” Rep. Ralph Norman, the South Carolina Republican who narrowly lost to Graham in the special Senate primary, told CNN’s Manu Raju via text message on Tuesday.
“This election is about attempts to ‘force’ a candidate on the voters of S.C. And regardless of the outcome, it didn’t have to be this way as the great people living in South Carolina deserve ‘better!’ Bottom line!! Elections have consequences!!” Norman added.
Voters like Norman are why Republicans have had to dump millions into the race in the waning weeks of the cycle, only to have Graham barely leading in polls. Graham is up over her Democratic opponent, Annie Andrews, by just 1 point on average, 46 percent to 45 percent.
Other Republicans are coming out to support Andrews’ bid, too. Former Republican Gov. David Beasley cut an ad backing Andrews over Graham.
The Bulwark, a media outlet run by never-Trump Republicans, also conducted a focus group in South Carolina, finding many 2024 Trump voters unhappy with Graham as their nominee.
“I just don’t see how she’s qualified. Seems like she’s really just Lindsey Graham’s sister and that’s kinda the end of it,” one male Trump voter, who now disapproves of Trump, told the Bulwark.
“I was real disappointed in Donald Trump when he selected Darline Graham in the first place,” another male Trump voter who now disapproves of the president said in the focus group. “I thought she was unqualified then, and I continue to think she’s unqualified.”
At the end of the day, Trump put his thumb on the scale in South Carolina for a candidate who was not ready for prime time. In doing so, he angered many longtime GOP voters who do not appreciate having a candidate who will serve a six-year term forced down their throats.
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- 'I Don't Speak Politician'! Nor Does Lindsey's Sister Speak Foreign Policy ›
- Gambling On Graham's Sister In South Carolina, Trump Risks Big Embarrassment ›
- Trump Stumps for Darline Graham in Reliably Red South Carolina - Bloomberg ›
- Trump heads to South Carolina to boost Senator Darline Graham in race | US Midterm Elections 2026 News | Al Jazeera ›
- ‘I’m on the ballot’: Trump lends a hand to struggling Darline Graham - POLITICO ›
- Trump to campaign for Sen. Darline Graham despite disagreement on Russia sanctions : NPR ›
- Trump brings a last-minute rally boost to Darline Graham in South Carolina's US Senate race ›
- ‘There’s a lot of worry’: GOP sounds the alarm about Darline Graham as Trump swoops in — again ›
- Graham Breaks With Trump Over Russia Sanctions Law Her Brother Championed - The New York Times ›
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