United States President Donald Trump is set to travel to South Carolina to boost the campaign of Darline Graham, the sister of his close ally, the late Senator Lindsey Graham.
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Trump → set → ally
The visit on Wednesday, which will include a rally alongside Graham, comes as the Senate race in deep-red South Carolina has grown uncomfortably close for Republicans.
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race → include → Republicans
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money → face → elections
Lindsey Graham, long one of the most hawkish members of the Senate who was an outspoken supporter of the US-Israel war on Iran, had been expected to sail to victory in the November 3 vote.
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who → expect → vote
But his unexpected death in July upended the race.
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death → upend → race
South Carolina’s governor tapped Darline Graham to finish her brother’s term.
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governor → tap → term
Trump then made the surprise move of endorsing Graham in a new Republican primary, helping her to claim the party’s nomination.
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her → make → nomination
The president said the endorsement was “in honour of her brother”.
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endorsement → say → brother
In a video message last week, Trump again said Graham had his unconditional support.
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Graham → say → support
“I’m asking everyone in South Carolina to get out and vote for a wonderful person, a great woman … a woman that Lindsey Graham said is the greatest person he’s ever met,” Trump said.
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Trump → ask → person
Democratic challenger Annie Andrews, a medical doctor and paediatrician, has seized on Graham’s inexperience and her unorthodox route to the Republican nomination.
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Andrews → seize → nomination
Speaking to a local Fox News affiliate before Trump’s rally in Pendleton, South Carolina, Andrews pointed to Graham’s lacklustre debate performance, including one instance where she said she was “not that informed on national security”.
“My opponent needs the highest level of federal government politicians to speak for her.
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opponent → speak → her
On the debate stage, it was really clear,” Andrews said.
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Andrews → say → stage
Graham, meanwhile, has called Andrews “the most radical liberal that’s ever run for state office in South Carolina”.
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that → call → Carolina
Polls have shown Graham leading by about 2.7 percentage points, according to a Real Clear Politics average.
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Graham → show → average
Trump carried the state by 18 percentage points in 2024.
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Trump → carry → 2024
Tensions on Russia
Trump’s visit comes after the president issued an executive order waiving most sanctions and tariffs on Russia, established by a law named after Lindsey Graham and passed with bipartisan support in 2026.
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president → come → 2026
The move prompted a tempered rebuke from Darline Graham.
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move → prompt → Graham
“Personally, I would choose to put the pressure on Russia to end the war and get gas prices down,” she told The Associated Press news agency on Saturday.
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she → choose → Saturday
“I don’t trust Putin, and I don’t trust Russia,” she said.
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she → trust → Russia
The executive order on sanctions has been part of a wider Trump administration shift in its approach to ending the war with Ukraine, which began with Russia’s invasion in February 2024.
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which → end → February
Trump and his allies have heaped pressure on Ukraine, framing its leader, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as the main impediment to peace.
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allies → heap → peace
In turn, Washington has offered several concessions to Russia, including a deal to buy Russian diesel.
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Washington → offer → diesel
His death came shortly after he returned from his 10th visit to the country since the war began.
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war → come → country
The tightening race in South Carolina underscores the harsh political reality for Republicans heading into the final stretch of the midterms.
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race → underscore → midterms
Trump has sought to use his political clout to bring party loyalists out to vote, campaigning in strongholds across the country.
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Trump → seek → country
But the president heads into the vote with the lowest approval ratings of his career, with voters expressing dismay about affordability and the knock-on effects of the US-Israel war with Iran.
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voters → head → Iran
Beyond South Carolina, other one-time Republican strongholds have shown signs of shifting towards Democrats.
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strongholds → show → Democrats
That includes Kansas, where polls suggest Republican Ashley Hinson is effectively tied with Democrat Joshua Turek.
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Hinson → include → Turek
The state, where farmers have been particularly hard hit by rising prices on fuel and equipment, has not sent a Democrat to the Senate since 1939.
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farmers → hit → 1939
Trump also broke from the Republican establishment to endorse Attorney General Ken Paxton over Senator John Cornyn in the Texas primary.
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Trump → break → primary
Polling averages show Paxton, whose career has been marred by a procession of scandals, trailing behind Democratic challenger Talarico by 1.7 percentage points.
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career → show → points
The race is widely considered a toss-up.
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race → consider → ?
A Republican has not won statewide office in Texas since 1994.
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Republican → win → 1994
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