Senator Darline Graham has won the Republican nomination to keep the South Carolina Senate seat she inherited from her brother, the late Lindsey Graham. She defeated Representative Ralph Norman in Tuesday's runoff, a result that hands President Donald Trump a fresh win after several of his endorsed candidates lost in recent weeks.
A political newcomer backed by Trump
Graham had never run for elected office before this year. Governor Henry McMaster appointed her to the Senate in July, days after Lindsey Graham died suddenly. She finished in the top two of a 10-way primary earlier this month, then faced Norman, a six-term congressman, in the runoff.
Trump traveled to South Carolina to campaign for her. His super PAC, MAGA Inc., spent more than $827,000 on phone calls and text messages in the race — money that Republicans in competitive battlegrounds had been waiting for. Political analysts said the result shows that when Trump throws his full weight behind a candidate, his endorsement can still decide a primary.
What the win means for November
South Carolina has not sent a Democrat to the Senate in decades. Lindsey Graham won his last race by 10 percentage points. With the nomination secured, Graham is expected to win a full six-year term in November with relative ease.
The race also fits into the wider picture of the 2026 midterms, which will decide which party controls Congress. Republicans held primaries in several other states on the same day, narrowing their candidate fields. Control of the House and Senate will shape the second half of Trump's presidency, and every seat in play is now being watched closely.
Across the country, Tuesday's primaries gave voters their first clear look at the field for November. Republicans and Democrats both narrowed their candidate lists in several states. Strategists say the results will shape fundraising and advertising through the final stretch of the campaign. In South Carolina, the Senate race is now effectively decided, and attention has already turned to the seats that remain genuinely competitive elsewhere.