{"id":2642979,"date":"2026-08-11T07:27:01","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T11:27:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-backed-graham-nordone-faces-test-in-unpredictable-primary\/"},"modified":"2026-08-11T07:29:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T11:29:00","slug":"trump-backed-graham-nordone-faces-test-in-unpredictable-primary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-backed-graham-nordone-faces-test-in-unpredictable-primary\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump-backed Graham Nordone faces test in unpredictable primary"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-backed-graham-nordone-faces-test-in-unpredictable-primary%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2642979&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Darline Graham nordone, an interim Republican U.S. Senate candidate from South Carolina, enjoys important support from the GOP and President Trump ahead of Tuesday\u2019s special primary. Despite this backing, she is not considered a guaranteed winner to succeed her late brother, Lindsey Graham. The race is highly competitive, with a three-way fight for second place among contenders such as Reps. Ralph Norman and Russell Fry, former Governor Mark Sanford, and businessman Mark lynch, who previously lost the June primary before his sudden July death.<\/p>\n<p>Graham Nordone emphasizes focusing on domestic issues like affordability and voter concerns, distancing herself somewhat from her brother\u2019s foreign policy emphasis.She is also combatting criticisms from rivals over her past work with a state agency aiding the blind, which some allege relates to diversity and inclusion policies-charges she dismisses. The primary is expected to be unpredictable, with a runoff likely unless a candidate secures over 50% of the vote in the initial contest. Her ultimate appointment remains uncertain, with polls indicating a tight race.her campaign strategy involves appealing to voters&#8217; concerns about everyday issues, and her performance so far is described as prudent.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Interim Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/darline-graham-nordone\/\">Darline Graham Nordone<\/a> (R-SC) has much of the Senate GOP in her corner and, most importantly, the support of President Donald Trump ahead of Tuesday\u2019s special <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4680256\/south-carolina-gop-senate-poll\/\">South Carolina Republican Senate primary<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yet, Graham Nordone, on the ballot for a full six-year term, isn\u2019t seen as a shoo-in to replace her late brother, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/lindsey-graham\/\">Lindsey Graham<\/a>.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4681641\/trump-endorsed-darline-nordone-graham-unpredictable-south-carolina-primary\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump-backed Darline Graham Nordone faces test in unpredictable South Carolina primary<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/4668631\/key-minnesota-primary-races-to-watch\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Here are the key Minnesota primary races to watch<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4681932\/progressives-skirt-past-woke-pasts-centrists-wont-let-them\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Progressives want to skirt past their \u2018woke\u2019 pasts. Centrists won\u2019t let them<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt is a complete free-for-all, three-way race for second place,\u201d predicted Tyson Grinstead, a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/republican-national-committee\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"2059\">Republican National Committee<\/a> member and a 2014 Graham campaign adviser who\u2019s a neutral observer to the primary.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tuesday\u2019s special election, largely seen as a wild-card contest due to a condensed campaign period lasting only a few weeks, likely won\u2019t be the end despite the November general election safely in GOP hands. An Aug. 25 runoff between the top two vote-getters is expected unless one amasses more than 50% of the vote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The top contenders to be South Carolina\u2019s Republican Senate nominee include Graham Nordone, Reps. Ralph Norman and Russell Fry, former Gov. Mark Sanford, and businessman Mark Lynch. Lynch lost the initial June primary to Graham prior to his sudden death in July from an aortic tear.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou can make a good case for any of the other three coming in second,\u201d Grinstead said of Norman, Fry, and Sanford.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Graham Nordone is leaning on support from Trump and leading Senate Republicans, including North Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, but she\u2019s also made clear that while honoring her brother\u2019s legacy is a priority, she intends to focus less on foreign policy and more on domestic issues such as <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/affordability\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"21532\">affordability<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cObviously, I think Lindsey was an amazing senator. His interest was foreign relations and national security,\u201d Graham Nordone said Monday on <em>Fox &#038; Friends<\/em>. \u201cAnd while national security is really important, I\u2019m a little different, because here I want to focus on the struggles of the South Carolina families because, like them, I feel those same struggles.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Should Graham Nordone ultimately fail to secure the nomination, her appointment to the seat will conclude in January 2027. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/polls\/south-carolina-us-senate-election-polls-2026.html?eafs_enabled=false\">Polling varies<\/a> and suggests the race is tight, but some surveys have shown her with sizable leads while still below the runoff threshold.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., leans over to hear a reporter\u2019s question following at a candidate event for hopefuls vying in a special Republican primary to replace her late brother Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on November ballots, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026, in Florence, S.C. (AP Photo\/Meg Kinnard)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/08\/localimages\/AP26220621016193.jpg?w=696&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sen. Darline Nordone Graham (R-SC) leans over to hear a reporter\u2019s question following a candidate event for hopefuls vying in a special Republican primary to replace her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, on November ballots, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026, in Florence, South Carolina. (Meg Kinnard\/AP Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But so far, she\u2019s approaching voters in \u201ca smart way,\u201d according to Grinstead.           <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think she realizes that people right now are concerned about, you know, the affordability issues,\u201d he said. \u201cTo focus on some of those domestic issues rather than foreign policy to start with, I think that\u2019s a smart move.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4680256\/south-carolina-gop-senate-poll\/\">SOUTH CAROLINA GOP SENATE POLLING SHOWS TIGHT RACE BETWEEN GRAHAM NORDONE, NORMAN, FRY, AND SANFORD<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among the criticisms Graham Nordone has faced from primary rivals, particularly Fry, are accusations that she <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4680941\/darline-graham-nordone-fights-dei-accusations-work-state-agency-helps-blind\/\">pushed diversity, equity, and inclusion<\/a> policies in her past role helping the blind. It\u2019s a charge that, if it sticks, could doom her in the eyes of some conservative voters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019ve got some opponents that have been attacking me on some DEI issues, which I don\u2019t understand,\u201d Graham Nordone said in the <em>Fox &#038; Friends<\/em> interview. \u201cI\u2019ve led a state agency for seven years, where I help people who are blind find work so that they can live independently and not rely on the government, thus saving taxpayers\u2019 dollars. So I\u2019m not sure how that equates to DEI.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Graham Nordone backed by GOP, faces tough SC primary race<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3108,"featured_media":2642980,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26220621016193.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[82872,33387,33184,3634,35343],"class_list":["post-2642979","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-graham-nordone","tag-political-campaign","tag-primary-election","tag-trump","tag-u-s-politics"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26220621016193.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2642979","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3108"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2642979"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2642979\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2642983,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2642979\/revisions\/2642983"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2642980"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2642979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2642979"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2642979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}