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yesterday

Trump Endorsement Polarizes South Carolina Senate Race

The president’s public push for Lindsey Graham’s sister has deepened GOP divisions and could temporarily shrink the party’s House margin if a House member wins the Senate seat.

Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., from left, seated alongside daughter Nicole Nordone and husband Larry Nordone, looks on as a South Carolina Republican Senate candidate stump event gets underway ahead of the special GOP primary to replace her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026, in Lexington, S.C. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)
Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., speaks at a South Carolina Republican Senate candidate stump event ahead of the special GOP primary to replace her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026, in Lexington, S.C. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)
Former Gov. Mark Sanford, R-S.C., speaks at a Senate candidate stump event to ahead of a special GOP primary to select a replacement for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026, in Lexington, S.C. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)
Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., speaks at a Senate candidate stump event to ahead of a special GOP primary to select a replacement for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026, in Lexington, S.C. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)

Overview

  • South Carolina voters will choose a Republican nominee in a special primary on Aug. 11 with an Aug. 25 runoff likely if no candidate wins a majority.
  • Governor Henry McMaster appointed Darline Graham as interim senator after her brother’s death and President Trump has urged and officially endorsed her to run for the full term.
  • Darline Graham is a political newcomer campaigning on Trump-aligned priorities and a focus on household affordability rather than her brother’s foreign-policy emphasis.
  • State GOP figures and donors have pushed back against the White House intervention, arguing the endorsement risks a top-down choice and has not produced a unified state party backing.
  • If a sitting Republican member of the House wins the Senate seat, South Carolina would hold a separate special election for that House seat and the GOP could temporarily lose one vote in the chamber.