{"id":4153,"date":"2026-07-30T16:43:50","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T16:43:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=4153"},"modified":"2026-07-30T16:43:50","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T16:43:50","slug":"gop-backlash-republican-dogfight-erupts-over-trumps-hand-in-senate-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=4153","title":{"rendered":"GOP backlash: Republican ‘dogfight’ erupts over Trump\u2019s hand in Senate race"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Following the death of Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), his sister Darlene was appointed to serve in his place temporarily, drawing the support of President Donald Trump when she announced her intention to run for a full term. But according to new reporting from the Washington Post<\/u>, \u201crather than embracing the president\u2019s endorsed candidate in a whirlwind election less than two weeks away, influential conservative activists in South Carolina say they\u2019re not swayed.\u201d <\/p>\n

Read more Someone \u2018above Blanche\u2019s pay grade\u2019 is blocking deal with Senate: Republican<\/a><\/p>\n

While Trump likes to assert the power of his endorsements, South Carolina conservatives have already rejected one of his picks this year during the state\u2019s GOP gubernatorial primary in June. Now he could face a repeat \u201cas his supporters question whether the president is acting with their top priorities in mind \u2026 Many conservative activists say they aren\u2019t sold on Graham because of her lack of a political record, besides her public support for her brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are going to be independently minded in this, and I don\u2019t think that Trump is the end all, be all that he used to be,\u201d said CJ Westfall, chairman of the Dorchester County Republican Party. Darlene Graham\u2019s competition is steep. So far, a dozen candidates have filed to run in the August 11 primary, including a former governor and two conservative House representatives. The primary is expected to result in a runoff, which Westfall noted \u201ctypically bring out the hard core of the hard core.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the Post, \u201cmore than a dozen South Carolina Republican operatives and activists described three issues working against Graham: She had never held office and is little-known across the state, despite her brother\u2019s high profile. Her association with her brother could have downsides in a primary; Lindsey Graham had struggled to please many in Trump\u2019s MAGA-aligned base in recent years because of his hawkishness and willingness to work with Democrats, and he had spent $20 million to fend off a primary challenge this year from the right. And some are simply irked that Trump wants to hand off a coveted six-year term to someone based on family ties, rather than a proven conservative record.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDarline is really in for a dogfight,\u201d said one Republican official working on Senate races.<\/p>\n

Read more New Comey revelations throw major wrench in Trump pick\u2019s testimony: ex-DOJ prosecutor<\/a><\/p>\n

Her main rivals are Representatives Ralph Norman and Russell Fry, who both boast solid conservative bona fides and broad endorsement coalitions: \u201cNorman has secured the endorsements of conservative Republican Sens. Rick Scott (Florida) and Mike Lee (Utah), along with upstate sheriffs, while Fry has the backing of 40 Republican state legislators \u2026 While Graham has received endorsements from several Republican Senate colleagues, she has yet to secure the public backing of two key Senate leaders \u2014 Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee,\u201d and the Senate GOP\u2019s campaign operation, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD). <\/p>\n

Barring these endorsements, she is counting on the power of Trump\u2019s backing. But in recent months, a number of his endorsed candidates have lost high-profile elections \u2014 a trend South Carolina Republicans have noticed. <\/p>\n

\u201cTrump\u2019s endorsements haven\u2019t always been correct in the voters\u2019 eyes,\u201d said Mark Lynch, Graham\u2019s main primary challenger earlier this year, who is again running to succeed him. \u201cWe\u2019re not going to have a coronation in this state and elect Darline as the queen, underneath the king, Lindsey.\u201d <\/p>\n

Read more Nothing can tear Trump\u2019s MAGA fans from him \u2014 even domestic violence: poll<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Following the death of Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), his sister Darlene was appointed to serve in his place temporarily, drawing the support of President Donald Trump when she announced her intention to run for a full term. But according to new reporting from the Washington Post, \u201crather than embra…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4152,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4153","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nGOP backlash: Republican 'dogfight' erupts over Trump\u2019s hand in Senate race - Next Address America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=4153\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"GOP backlash: Republican 'dogfight' erupts over Trump\u2019s hand in Senate race - Next Address America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Following the death of Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), his sister Darlene was appointed to serve in his place temporarily, drawing the support of President Donald Trump when she announced her intention to run for a full term. 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