Sen. Darline Graham and Rep. Ralph Norman Head to South Carolina Senate Runoff

Senator Darline Graham and Representative Ralph Norman will advance to a runoff election in the Republican Senate primary in South Carolina. This follows an Associated Press report that neither candidate achieved over 50% of the vote. They are competing to replace the late Senator Lindsey Graham.

Representative Russell Fry, former Governor Mark Sanford, and other candidates did not secure enough votes in the primary held a month after Senator Graham’s unexpected death at 71. This primary is the latest reflection of former President Donald Trump’s strong influence on the GOP, as he endorsed Graham, who is the late senator’s younger sister. Governor Henry McMaster appointed her to serve the remainder of the current Senate term, ending this year.

Graham, supporting Trump’s agenda, stated this as her priority when she voted on Tuesday. Ralph Norman, who previously ran for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, and Fry have been vocal supporters of Trump in their campaigns as well.

Mark Sanford, a fiscal conservative, entered the Senate race citing national debt concerns. The GOP field also included businessman Mark Lynch, who previously lost to Lindsey Graham by a significant margin in June’s Republican primary.

Trump’s endorsements have been unpredictable in South Carolina’s political landscape. He backed Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette in the gubernatorial race to replace the term-limited Governor McMaster. Despite leading the primary, Evette lost the runoff to Attorney General Alan Wilson. Trump endorsed both candidates before the runoff.

The winner of the upcoming Senate runoff will likely be the frontrunner against Democratic nominee Annie Andrews, a pediatrician, in the midterm elections.