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Trump backs Graham in SC
President Donald Trump heads to South Carolina on Friday to campaign for U.S. Sen. Darline Graham at an evening rally at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.
“Trump will appear at an evening rally for Graham at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center”
The rally comes days after Graham stumbled over a question about U.S. foreign policy in a debate with U.S. Representative Ralph Norman, when Graham replied, "I'm just going to be honest here. I'm not that informed on national security."
Graham, 62, is a political novice appointed by South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster to fill the seat of her late brother, Senator Lindsey Graham, whose death was attributed to a heart ailment.
Trump’s endorsement of Graham for a full six-year U.S. Senate term has rankled some South Carolina Republicans, including former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who said on X, "Lindsey Graham was well informed on the United States' national security."
The Reuters account says the winner of Tuesday’s runoff will face Democrat Annie Andrews, a pediatrician who had more than $4.1 million in her campaign war chest at the end of June.
Objections and competing narratives
CNN describes Trump’s test of his political power in South Carolina as some stalwart supporters openly rejecting his pick in Tuesday’s Republican primary runoff, despite White House efforts that included Trump calling old rivals to endorse her.
Former state Rep. Adam Morgan, a Norman supporter, said, "The entire world is laughing at South Carolina right now and laughing at Darline Graham Nordone," using the full name for Graham that critics invoke to distinguish her from Sen. Lindsey Graham.
The CNN story also quotes White House spokeswoman Allison Schuster saying, "President Trump’s endorsement is the most powerful endorsement in the history of American politics," while noting that Graham’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
In the Reuters account, Graham defended her debate response in a later Fox News interview, saying, "I don't speak politician. I was just honest. And I think that's kind of a foreign concept," as she argued South Carolina voters are more concerned about cost of living, transgender issues, gun rights and immigration.
Reuters reports that Graham and Norman emerged from a Republican field of 10 candidates in a special August 11 Senate primary, with Graham winning 32.8% to 24.6% before falling short of the clear majority needed for outright victory.
What’s at stake in runoff
The outcome of Tuesday’s Republican runoff will determine who faces Democrat Annie Andrews, a pediatrician with more than $4.1 million in her campaign war chest at the end of June, according to Reuters.
“Doors open at 3 p.m., and the rally is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.”
Reuters says control of both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate is up for grabs in November’s midterm elections, with the Republican nominee favored to win the South Carolina Senate seat.
WCSC reports that Myrtle Beach police are warning drivers to expect temporary road closures and traffic delays Friday as the president visits the city, and that those closures will not be announced ahead of time because of security concerns.
WCSC also says doors open at 3 p.m. and the rally is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., with the rally open to the public and tickets available through the South Carolina Republican Party with a limit of two tickets per person.
In the Reuters account, Trump carried South Carolina by nearly 18 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election, and the sitting senator’s current term runs until early January, setting a compressed timeline for the new six-year term.