Graham’s win in South Carolina shows Trump’s still got sway

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 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. Why We Wrote This 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.”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. Now, with 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. Representative Norman offered voters a different kind of political value, as a seasoned legislator who knows the ropes in Washington and could advocate for the state. Rep. Ralph Norman speaks with reporters after a debate with U.S. Sen. Darline Graham ahead of the special Republican Senate runoff election to replace the late Sen. Lindsey Graham on the ballot, on Aug. 18, 2026, in Newberry, South Carolina. But Mr. Norman has long had an uneasy relationship with Mr. Trump, particularly on fiscal matters. Last year, as head of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus and a member of the House Budget Committee, he withheld his vote for a time on the president’s signature “One Big Beautiful Bill,” over concerns about what it would do to the national debt. In the first round of voting in the special primary on Aug. 11, Ms. Graham came in first with 32.7%, followed by Mr. Norman with 24.6%. The third place finisher, Rep. Russell Fry (19.7%), endorsed Ms. Graham in the two-person runoff, and the fourth place finisher, former Gov. Mark Sanford (14.9%), endorsed Mr. Norman. In a lengthy X post on Aug. 21, former Governor Sanford cited Mr. Norman’s “experience in legislative circles” and his stand on fiscal matters, particularly “given our crossing of the $40 trillion federal debt mark this week.” It’s never certain how effective endorsements are, but Mr. Trump has been on the defensive over his less-than-perfect record during the 2026 primary season. Some high-profile primary losses included candidates for governor in Wyoming, Minnesota, Georgia, South Carolina, and Iowa, and for the U.S. House in Florida, Tennessee, and Michigan.“My Endorsements are stronger than ever — Not to mention the fact that good people are getting elected that never had the chance!” the president posted Sunday on Truth Social. Some endorsements, he added, were “done of loyalty,” even though “it was almost impossible for them to win.” Having prevailed in Tuesday’s GOP runoff, Ms. Graham is heavily favored to win in November in deep-red South Carolina. The Democratic nominee is Annie Andrews, a physician.