Updated Aug. 26, 2026, 12:17 a.m. ET
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Washington
For President Donald Trump, this one was personal.
Sen. Darline Graham of South Carolina won the Republican primary runoff Tuesday to replace her brother – the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally – on the November ballot for a full six-year term. With more than 95% of the vote in, Ms. Graham was leading by 52% to 48%.
It may have been President Trump’s support, including a big rally last week in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and a tele-rally Monday night, that made the difference. After Lindsey Graham’s death last month, the president had urged the state’s governor to appoint the senator’s sister to Mr. Graham’s seat for the remaining months of the current term, then encouraged her to run in her own right in November.
Voters have rejected more Trump-endorsed candidates in this year’s primary season than in previous cycles. But Darline Graham won South Carolina’s U.S. Senate nomination Tuesday, as the president’s backing outweighed her lack of experience.
The new Senator Graham, a political novice, stumbled in her Aug. 18 debate against Rep. Ralph Norman, the second-most vote-getter in the first round of primary voting two weeks ago.
“I’m not that informed on national security,” Ms. Graham said to audience boos when asked about U.S. policy toward Taiwan.
Mr. Trump was undaunted, putting his political reputation on the line.
“Pretend, please, that I’m on the ballot!” he urged the crowd at the Graham rally in Myrtle Beach.
In Monday’s tele-rally, Mr. Trump again centered the race on himself. “I asked her to [run],” he said, “I got her into this whole thing, I have to make sure she gets in.”
The senator thanked the president in her Tuesday night victory speech. “Our victory would not have been possible without you, and we are truly grateful,” she said.
Not long ago, a Trump endorsement almost guaranteed victory in a Republican primary. This year, that has not necessarily been the case. Before Tuesday, 10 Trump-backed candidates for statewide office or Congress had lost their primaries in 2026, equal to the figure for all of 2018, 2020, and 2024 combined, according to a CNN analysis based on data from Ballotpedia.
But on Tuesday, more than one Trump-endorsed candidate won a competitive primary. In Oklahoma, Tulsa businessman Mike Mazzei edged out state Attorney General Gentner Drummond in a runoff for governor. Mr. Mazzei will confront Democrat Cyndi Munson, the Oklahoma House minority leader, in the November election.
With the Oklahoma outcome and Ms. Graham’s high-profile win, Mr. Trump has shown he still has political mojo, staving off the growing whispers of “lame duck.”
Still, for some voters, the idea of sending a fresh face to Washington, one who might understand their everyday struggles, may also have held appeal. Ms. Graham had a career in vocational rehabilitation for disabled people before suddenly becoming a U.S. senator. She and her older brother were close; after their parents died when Darline was a young teen, Lindsey became her legal guardian and later her adoptive father.
