Sen. Darline Graham (R-S.C.), who was named to fill out the unexpired term of her late brother Lindsey Graham, advanced to a runoff in the Republican primary for a full six years in Washington, according to the Associated Press.
Graham will face Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) on Aug. 27 in the special primary to choose the Republican Senate nominee, as no candidate received at least 50% of the vote. Lindsey Graham, one of Israel’s strongest supporters in Congress, died last month after returning from a visit to Ukraine.
At press time, Darline Graham had secured 107,445 votes (32.8%) and Norman had 79,065 votes (24.2%), with about 98% of votes counted.
Rep. Russell Fry (R-S.C.) had the next most votes, 64,921 (19.8%), followed by former South Carolina governor Mark Sanford with 49,405 votes (15.1%).
The winner of the primary will be a strong favorite to keep the Senate seat in Republican hands.
“I am incredibly honored and humbled by your support,” Graham, the first woman to represent South Carolina in the Senate, stated on social media.
U.S. President Donald Trump endorsed Graham for the seat, even as Norman also has been a supporter of the president. He said that Darline called him to thank him for the backing.
“It’s great that she’s doing so well,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday night, according to White House pool reports. “Very good woman. She’s got good genetics, and she’s a real professional.”
He also offered kind words for her opponents.
“I like the other people very much. They’re all Trump,” he said. “I mean, they’re all Trumpers, but you know, I enjoyed her. I think she’s great. Really in honor of her brother and she’s really a very smart woman.”
A member of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, Norman congratulated Graham for finishing first but said he would press on.
“I look forward to the next two weeks. I love campaigning,” he said. “We’re going to hit every part of the state and take our message, and you know, this is all about faith, family and freedom.”
Before recessing for August, the Senate passed legislation to impose new sanctions on Russia and Iran. The measure was named for Lindsey Graham, a fierce advocate of sanctions against Russia in retaliation for its attack against Ukraine.
The late senator’s sister was the lead sponsor of the legislation.
