Darline Graham Wins South Carolina Senate Primary

Primary elections can be a good way to learn more about how voters feel about certain candidates and issues. The results of these elections may provide clues and information about voter trends. In South Carolina, an important Senate election might provide some insight into how candidates supported by Trump will fare in the general election. 

South Carolina Goes to the Polls 

On July 11, 2026, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham passed away from a heart condition. Graham represented the state of South Carolina in the U.S. Congress from 1995 to 2026. (He was a member of the House of Representatives between 1995 and 2003. From 2003 until his death, he was a member of the U.S. Senate.) The state’s governor, Henry McMaster, appointed Graham’s sister, Darline Graham, to fill her brother’s seat temporarily. (Ms. Graham had no political experience, but it is not uncommon for family members or spouses to be appointed to a vacant seat following a member’s death—especially when an election approaches.) Because Lindsey Graham’s term expires in November, Darline Graham needed to run an election campaign if she wanted to continue serving in the Senate.  

On August 11, South Carolina held a special election to determine who will become the Republican nominee for the seat in November. There were four candidates, and none of them won the required 50 percent of votes to win. On August 25, the state held a runoff election between the top two vote-getters: Darline Graham and Rep. Ralph Norman.  

Norman is a strong fiscal conservative. He has served five terms in Congress since 2017. He is also a member of the House Freedom Caucus, a group of conservative Republican legislators in Congress. Darline Graham won the runoff election with 52.5 percent of the vote. She will now challenge the Democratic primary winner in the November general election. 

President Trump’s Campaign Help 

Graham was heavily supported by President Trump. Trump’s MAGA super PAC spent more than $827,000 on Graham’s campaign. (PAC stands for political action committee. PACs help coordinate campaign fundraising and spending to support political candidates.) Graham embraced her lack of political experience. She described herself as someone who is not part of the political machine. She also connected herself to Trump–pointing out that the president himself did not have any political experience when he ran for election in the 2016 presidential campaign.  

During the campaign’s only debate, Graham drew boos from the audience when she wasn’t able to answer questions about international policy and national security. She admitted that she wasn’t very informed about those issues. Instead, she said that she will be focused mostly on the struggles faced by American families.  

Trump has supported several candidates in midterm GOP state primaries around the country. More of his endorsed candidates have won than lost. This suggests that Republican voters may consider the president’s endorsement when choosing between competing Republican primary candidates. 

What Happens Next? 

Darline Graham will now face the Democrat’s primary winner, Annie Andrews. Andrews is a pediatrician (a medical doctor who specializes in infants and young children). South Carolina voters hav not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since 1976. And no Democratic Party candidate has won the governor’s office since 1998. Even more important to the race between Graham and Andrews, South Carolina has not had a Democratic senator since the 1950s! Still, just a few days after the runoff election, Andrews reported donations of $1.2 million from Democratic party supporters. Polls from Andrews’ campaign show her as much as 33 points ahead of Graham with independent voters. 

What Do You Think? Based on what you read above, who do you think has a better chance of winning South Carolina’s Senate seat in November: Republican Darline Graham, or Democrat Annie Andrews? Give at least two reasons why you think so.