After Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) unexpectedly died — reportedly from heart disease — on July 11, South Carolian Gov. Henry McMaster temporarily appointed the late senator’s younger sister, Darline Graham Nordone, to the U.S. Senate seat. And President Donald Trump is hoping that Nordone will run for the seat permanently in the 2026 midterms. But according to Fox News reporter Alex Miller, some prominent South Carolina Republicans are defying Trump’s endorsement of Nordone — who, so far, has not said whether or not she will run.
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“President Donald Trump has made his pick to replace the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., but several Republicans eyeing his seat don’t care,” Miller reports on Fox News’ website. “A handful of hopefuls vying to win the Republican nomination in August to take the reins from Graham have already announced their intent to jump into the race, despite Trump throwing his endorsement power behind Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., Graham’s sister who many believed to be a placeholder for the remainder of his term. Trump, on Friday, (July 17), after meeting with Graham in the Oval Office, announced his ‘complete and total endorsement’ for her to get into the race.”
Miller adds, “She has not yet committed, and the coveted Trump endorsement has not stopped Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., businessman Mark Lynch or the latest to jump in, Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., from entering the fray. Fry, in particular, was just last week lauded by Trump as someone to watch. He also had spent time speaking with White House operatives about launching a bid, and a Trump endorsement seemed all but guaranteed.”
A GOP source, interviewed on condition of anonymity, told Fox News that Fry has “accomplished more than all the potential candidates combined” — adding, “This is really about giving voters a choice and not a coronation.”
Similarly, South Carolina-based GOP strategist Dave Wilson told Fox News, “South Carolina voters want to have a choice and not be told who they need to be voting for.”
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Wilson pointed that in deep red South Carolina, an endorsement from Trump doesn’t necessarily mean that the person he favors will win.
Referencing Trump’s endorsement of Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, the GOP strategist told Fox News, “The president’s quick endorsement of Darline Graham was very symbolic[.] We’re seeing in South Carolina that his endorsement didn’t carry as much weight as people thought it was going to.”
Another GOP strategist, Ryan Williams, argues that while an endorsement from Trump is “a major boost for any candidacy,” it “doesn’t necessarily give you a lock on the seat.”
Williams told Fox News, “If you’re an aspiring House member in South Carolina, this is your time to run regardless of whom the president is supporting. There’s no downside for running. They’re all going to run as Trump Republicans, and they’re all going to flatter the president on the campaign trail.”
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