U.S. President Donald Trump is heading to South Carolina on Friday to campaign for Darline Graham, a political newcomer whose bid for a full six year Senate term is testing the president’s influence among Republican voters in the heavily conservative state.
Trump is scheduled to appear at an evening rally for Graham at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, days after she drew criticism during a Republican primary debate by acknowledging that she was not well informed about national security.
When asked whether Taiwan and the South China Sea were U.S. national security issues, Graham replied: “National security is not my thing.” Her comments prompted surprise from the debate audience and criticism from Republicans backing her opponent, U.S. Representative Ralph Norman.
Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who supports Norman, said national security expertise was essential for a U.S. senator and argued that Graham could not simply inherit her late brother’s political credentials.
Graham, 62, previously worked in services for people with disabilities before Republican Governor Henry McMaster appointed her to temporarily fill the Senate seat of her late brother, Lindsey Graham, who died last month after a heart ailment. Her current appointment runs until early January.
Trump’s endorsement helped Graham lead Norman in the August 11 Republican primary, winning 32.8% of the vote compared with Norman’s 24.6% in a field of 10 candidates. Neither candidate secured the majority required to win outright, sending the race to Tuesday’s runoff.
Graham has defended her debate comments, saying she preferred to be honest rather than pretend to have expertise she did not possess. She has argued that South Carolina voters are more focused on issues such as the cost of living, gun rights, immigration and transgender policy.
Norman, 73, is a longtime real estate developer and has served in the U.S. House for nearly a decade. He previously ran unsuccessfully for governor, finishing third in the June Republican primary.
The winner of Tuesday’s runoff will face Democrat Annie Andrews, a pediatrician who had more than $4.1 million available to her campaign at the end of June. The South Carolina seat is considered strongly favorable to Republicans, with Trump having carried the state by nearly 18 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election.
The race will also be closely watched as Republicans and Democrats compete for control of both chambers of Congress in November’s midterm elections.
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