Darline Graham, Ralph Norman Head to South Carolina Runoff

Sen. Darline Graham, appointed to complete the Senate term of her late brother, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, will face Rep. Ralph Norman in a runoff for the Republican nomination.

Graham held a narrow lead in polling going into Tuesday's abbreviated special primary, which pointed to a close contest for second place. Norman, Rep. Russell Fry and former Gov. Mark Sanford had polled within a point of one another in the most recent survey from the Trafalgar Group.

The winner of the August 25 runoff will face Annie Andrews, the Democratic nominee and a pediatrician, in November.

Graham has loudly trumpeted her endorsement from President Trump, and also has the support of Gov. Henry McMaster and Senate Majority Leader John Thune. In recent interviews, the political outsider argued that her experience and focus on affordability made her the right candidate.

"I ran a state agency. I turned it from a struggling agency into a national model. I think that's great experience to bring to the table," Graham told reporters after casting her ballot Tuesday. She pointed to the passage of a sanctions bill targeting Russia during her short tenure in Washington. "I was the deciding vote on Todd Blanche as attorney general. So I think I've accomplished a whole lot in three weeks."

Norman represents a district in the suburbs of Charlotte that is vote-rich for Republicans and contributes disproportionately to statewide primary results. The real estate developer has served in Congress since 2017 and is best known as vice chair of the hard-right Freedom Caucus. His support from state legislators and his statewide campaign apparatus largely survived his failed primary bid for governor in June.

Norman's campaign highlighted his support for the Save America Act, a Trump-backed bill requiring states to mandate proof of citizenship at voter registration and to submit voter rolls to federal oversight. He also has promoted a bill to strip housing funding from cities that do not cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Sanford campaigned on fiscal stewardship, citing the rise in federal debt. "I got into this race because I believe our nation is at a financial tipping point," he wrote on social media Tuesday.

Fry's attack ads amplified a debate comment by Graham favorable to data center development and likened her appointment to an act of "DEI." Graham and others criticized Fry for running for the Senate while also seeking re-election to his House seat.

Statewide special elections in South Carolina are rare. The most recent followed Sen. Jim DeMint's 2013 resignation to lead the Heritage Foundation, after which Gov. Nikki Haley named then-Rep. Tim Scott to the seat.