South Carolina Senate Special Election
The South Carolina G.O.P. is holding a special primary election to replace Lindsey Graham, who died last month, as the Republican nominee in November. The front-runner is Graham’s younger sister, Darline, who was appointed to the Senate on an interim basis by South Carolina’s governor, Henry McMaster, following her brother’s death. Previously, Darline Graham was a disability advocate and served as the commissioner of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind. Her main opponent is Ralph Norman, a congressman and staunch ally of Donald Trump’s. Norman notably encouraged the President to declare martial law before Joe Biden’s Inauguration, in 2021, and has been endorsed by several high-profile MAGA figures, including the Utah senator Mike Lee and the South Carolina congresswoman Nancy Mace. Trump, however, has endorsed Darline Graham, whom he described as “a true American Patriot.” Also running are Russell Fry, a congressman; Mark Sanford, the former South Carolina governor and Presidential candidate; and Mark McBride, the former mayor of Myrtle Beach. The winner of the special election will face Annie Andrews, a pediatrician who ran for Congress in 2022—a race she lost to Representative Mace.
