Darline Graham Nordone Enters South Carolina Senate Race After Trump Endorsement
Sen. Darline Graham Nordone said she will run for a full Senate term in South Carolina, escalating what began as a temporary appointment into a competitive Republican primary for the seat once held by her late brother, Lindsey Graham.
Graham Nordone made the announcement during a Fox News interview with Sean Hannity, saying she was in the race. AP and Reuters reported that President Donald Trump urged her to run after South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed her to serve the remaining months of Graham’s term.
The decision immediately raises the stakes inside South Carolina Republican politics. Reps. Russell Fry and Ralph Norman have also moved into the contest, giving GOP voters a primary that now includes Trump’s preferred candidate and sitting House Republicans seeking the nomination.
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The calendar gives the race little time to settle. South Carolina’s Election Commission says the special Republican filing period opens July 21 and closes July 28. The statewide special primary is scheduled for August 11, with a runoff on August 25 if needed. The Republican nominee will appear on the November 3 general election ballot.
Social and political reaction has centered on Trump’s public endorsement, Fox News clips of Graham Nordone’s announcement and South Carolina officials acknowledging her appointment. Trump posted support for Graham Nordone on Truth Social, while Fox News and local outlets circulated the campaign announcement across social platforms.
The race now tests whether Trump’s endorsement can consolidate a short-notice Republican primary after Graham’s death, or whether South Carolina’s GOP field turns the succession fight into a broader contest over who inherits one of the state’s highest-profile political seats.
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