Trump-endorsed Graham advances, will face Norman for brother's Senate seat

Register for free to manage your followed authors and newsletters in one place.

Sign in to load the authors you follow. ' +
'Sign in

You are not following any authors yet. ' +
'Use the follow buttons on stories or staff pages to build your list.

Sen. Darline Graham, the sister of the late Lindsey Graham, placed first in the Republican primary to fill the powerful senator’s seat for a six-year term after his unexpected death.

Because she did not win an outright majority, though, despite President Trump’s support, Tuesday night’s result sets up another battle for the political novice in two weeks’ time. 

Ms. Graham now faces Rep. Ralph Norman, a hardline conservative who has spent a decade on Capitol Hill, making a name for himself as a fiscal hawk.

After the first-place finish, Ms. Graham thanked the president for his support.

“He knows that I will stand with him and fight for his agenda just like Lindsey did,” she said.

Mr. Norman also claimed vindication in a statement, saying that he is the “proven conservative” in all capital letters for emphasis.

“Tonight, voters made it clear they want a proven conservative with a record of getting the job done on the ballot for the U.S. Senate, and as we advance to the runoff, that’s exactly what I’ll give them,” he said.

The special primary election gave Mr. Norman, who fell short in the June Republican gubernatorial primary, a chance to extend his career on Capitol Hill.

Ms. Graham came out on top over a crowded field of candidates that also included Rep. Russell Fry, businessman Mark Lynch and former Gov. Mark Sanford. 

With 86% of the vote counted, Ms. Graham had 33% of the vote to Mr. Norman’s 24% and Mr. Fry’s 20%.

Mr. Sanford struggled outside of the Charleston area, and Mr. Lynch, who already ran unsuccessfully against Ms. Graham’s older brother in June, placed in fifth.

Mr. Fry won his seat in Congress in 2022 with Mr. Trump’s backing against a congressman who had voted to impeach him and entered the race as a pro-Trump candidate. But a pro-Graham super PAC attacked Mr. Fry in an attempt to consolidate Trump-loyalist voters.

Source: Read the original article on www.washingtontimes.com