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· collected 2026-08-25 · by Kaia Hubbard, Caroline Linton
South Carolina Republicans will decide today which of two candidates, Darline Graham or Ralph Norman, will replace Sen. Lindsey Graham on the ballot for the November midterm election. The runoff vote comes after neither candidate won 50% of the vote in the special primary election, with Darline Graham receiving nearly 33% and Norman almost 25%. President Trump has thrown his support behind Darline Graham, who has no prior experience in elected office but is backed by Senator Tim Scott, while Norman touts his own legislative experience as a conservative. The winner will face Democratic candidate Dr. Annie Andrews in November's election.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-25,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Here is a summary of the news story:
Donald Trump rallied in South Carolina's Myrtle Beach Convention Center on Friday, August 21, to support Darline Graham, the sister of late Senator Lindsey Graham, in her bid for a six-year U.S. Senate term. The rally was part of Trump's effort to bolster Graham's chances in the special Republican primary runoff against Ralph Norman, a member of the House Freedom Caucus. Graham, 62, had been appointed by Governor Henry McMaster to fill her brother's seat after his sudden death last month. Despite struggling with a debate gaffe where she admitted to not being "that informed on national security," Trump endorsed Graham and campaigned on her behalf, claiming he "got her into this whole thing" and must ensure she wins.
On Tuesday, August 25, South Carolina Republicans voted in the runoff election, and Darline Graham Nordone won with about 52.5% of the vote, defeating Norman. Graham will now face off against Democratic candidate Annie Andrews, a pediatrician who won her primary in June. The seat is considered "Solid Republican" by the Cook Political Report, but Trump's efforts to support Graham are seen as an important test of his influence over Republican voters ahead of the midterm elections.
Note: This summary focuses on the key events and players in the story, including Trump's rally and endorsement, Graham's debate gaffe and candidacy, and the outcome of the runoff election.
Written for “Trump Backs Lindsey Graham's Sister” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 11 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.35, but none of the 1 quote(s) it offered could be found in the article text, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 2197: no verified evidence · logged 2026-08-27
South Carolina Republicans will decide Tuesday who will replace Sen. Lindsey Graham on the ballot in November's midterm election, after a rushed campaign in the wake of his
in July.
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who → decide → July
Graham's sister, Sen. Darline Graham, faces Rep. Ralph Norman in Tuesday's runoff vote.
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sister → face → vote
The two candidates were the top two vote-getters in the special primary election on Aug. 11, with Darline Graham getting nearly 33% of the vote to Norman's almost 25%, after neither won 50% of the vote.
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neither → get → vote
The runoff contest comes after Darline Graham was appointed to serve out the remainder of her late brother's term, which ends early next year.
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which → come → term
The four-term senator had been seeking reelection, and had already won the Republican primary in June.
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senator → seek → June
The winner of Tuesday's runoff will take on Dr. Annie Andrews, who won the Democratic primary in June.
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who → take → June
Although the South Carolina Senate race is usually a fundraising boon to Democrats, the state remains solidly Republican and has just one Democratic representative in Congress.
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state → remain → Congress
President Trump, who had been close with Lindsey Graham, has thrown his support behind Darline Graham.
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who → throw → Graham
He
last week and held a tele-rally for her on Monday.
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He → hold → Monday
Darline Graham, who has no prior experience in elected office, has also garnered the support of South Carolina's other senator, GOP Sen. Tim Scott, who said after her first few weeks in the Senate and her first-place finish in the primary that he's "confident she's the real deal."
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she → have → primary
The newly minted senator has billed herself as "a problem solver, a critical thinker, and a leader," with decades of experience working for South Carolina.
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senator → mint → Carolina
Darline Graham, 62, most recently served as commissioner of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind.
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Graham → serve → Blind
She has focused on domestic issues during the brief campaign, and her lack of a foreign policy background has raised some questions about her preparedness.
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lack → focus → preparedness
In a debate last week, Graham conceded that she's inexperienced in some regards, most notably when she
about Taiwan and the South China Sea.
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she → concede → Taiwan
She said she's "not that informed on national security," in a stark contrast to her brother, an outspoken foreign policy hawk.
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she → say → brother
"I'm not a polished politician," Graham said.
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Graham → say → ?
"National security is not my thing, not my area of expertise, but I do support the military.
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I → support → military
Graham had a close relationship with her brother, who never married or had children.
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who → have → children
She's cited their upbringing, where she and her brother observed their parents working long hours at their bar and liquor store in central South Carolina, for their shared work ethic.
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parents → cite → ethic
And as she's pledged to carry out her brother's legacy, she's also emphasized that she would chart her own path in the Senate, which could be more conservative than her brother's.
uncertain
which → pledge → brother
During last week's debate, she quickly made her views on transgender athletes in sports, abortion and gun rights known.
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views → make → sports
Meanwhile, Norman, who has represented South Carolina in the House since 2017, has presented himself as an experienced legislator with a track record as a conservative fighter, while calling Graham an "unknown candidate."
The real estate developer and longtime member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus
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who → represent → Caucus
And for Norman, who was one of only two House Republicans to back former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley in her bid to challenge Mr. Trump for the GOP nomination in 2024, it wasn't the first time he's been willing to break with the president.
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he → back → president
Norman, 73, has the backing of Haley, who also served as ambassador to the U.N. during the first Trump administration, and called out Darline Graham's lack of experience after her debate performance.
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who → have → performance
"Lindsey Graham was well informed on the United States' national security.
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Graham → inform → security
Darline Graham admits she's not," Haley said on X. "This is not something you inherit.
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you → admit → X.
