{"id":2649711,"date":"2026-08-26T05:38:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T09:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/darline-graham-nordones-message-to-republicans-about-the-midterm-elections\/"},"modified":"2026-08-26T05:42:43","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T09:42:43","slug":"darline-graham-nordones-message-to-republicans-about-the-midterm-elections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/darline-graham-nordones-message-to-republicans-about-the-midterm-elections\/","title":{"rendered":"Darline Graham Nordone&#8217;s message to Republicans about the midterm elections"},"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\">20<\/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%2Fdarline-graham-nordones-message-to-republicans-about-the-midterm-elections%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=2649711&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>The article discusses the recent primary victory of Darline Graham Nordone, a Republican candidate in South Carolina, highlighting that voters may be more focused on domestic issues like the economy than foreign policy. Her win, in a state with important military ties and following her brother Lindsey Graham&#8217;s long Senate career, suggests a shift in voter priorities. Despite her background and ties to Trump, her emphasis on affordable healthcare, gas prices, and economic concerns resonated more with voters than foreign policy issues such as taiwan or national security. Polls support this trend, showing that most <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-have-become-the-party-of-grumpy-elderly-people\/\" title=\"Democrats Have Become The Party Of Grumpy Elderly People\">voters prioritize economic issues<\/a> over foreign interventions. Trump&#8217;s endorsement played a role, but his track record in primaries has had mixed results. Critics, including Rep. Thomas Massie, criticized her victory as a sign of voter preference for focusing on domestic issues rather than foreign policy. her victory indicates a potential shift toward more locally focused priorities among republican voters.  <\/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\">Republicans could be missing an important lesson from Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/darline-graham-nordone\/\">Darline Graham Nordone<\/a>\u2019s (R-SC) primary runoff win ahead of a tough <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2026-election\/\">midterm election<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Maybe voters, including even Republican primary voters, are more interested in the economy and domestic issues than foreign affairs.<\/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\/4700528\/darline-graham-nordones-message-to-republicans-about-the-midterm-elections\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Darline Graham Nordone\u2019s message to Republicans about the midterm elections<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4700151\/democrats-fear-abdul-el-sayed-refusal-broaden-appeal-spoil-michigan\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Abdul el Sayed\u2019s refusal to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/el-sayed-provokes-fresh-fears-he-could-spoil-michigan-for-dems\/\" title=\"El Sayed provokes fresh fears he could spoil Michigan for Dems\">broaden appeal draws fears<\/a> he could spoil Michigan for Democrats<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4698197\/graham-nordone-norman-south-carolina-runoff\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Darline Graham Nordone defeats Ralph Norman in South Carolina Senate GOP runoff<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That this may have proved true in a military-heavy state, in a primary to replace her late, foreign policy-focused brother, Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/lindsey-graham\/\">Lindsey Graham<\/a>, could be the key takeaway from her race.<\/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\">President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a>\u2019s endorsement is important, but not infallible. He has had <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4698901\/trump-loyalists-endorsements-midterm-primaries\/\">a few blemishes<\/a> on his <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4692828\/trump-96-percent-endorsement-success-rate-republicans-he-backed-who-lost\/\">mostly stellar<\/a> track record of primary endorsements lately. His original pick for <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/south-carolina\/\">South Carolina<\/a> governor finished first in the initial round of voting but lost badly in the runoff, though he had modified his endorsement to include both GOP candidates by then.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nostalgia for Graham, who served South Carolina in the Senate since 2003 and before that had been in the House since 1995, likely played a role in his sister\u2019s win.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Graham never faced a primary opponent as strong as Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) or any sitting members of Congress when groups like the Club for Growth were <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/blogs\/burns-haberman\/2012\/09\/club-2014-target-lindsey-graham-136104\">casting about for alternatives<\/a>.<\/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\">Finally, it looked as though Graham Nordone, who was appointed by the governor to fill the remainder of her brother\u2019s Senate term and has switched back to her maiden name for the campaign, might have pressed her disinterest in foreign policy a bit too far.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Her inability to answer a question about Taiwan in a debate less than a week before the primary election was widely seen as a gaffe that might help Norman pull off the upset.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou know what I\u2019ve done in the last week?\u201d Graham Nordone said in response to a reporter\u2019s question on what she had done to bone up on national security since her debate misstep. \u201cI\u2019ve gone around this entire state talking to as many people as I possibly can, and you know how many of them brought up Taiwan or national security? Not one. They\u2019re talking about the rising cost of healthcare and affordability. So that\u2019s what\u2019s important to me.\u201d<\/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<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since filling her brother\u2019s Senate seat and launching her campaign for a full six-year term, South Carolina\u2019s newest senator has <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4671348\/what-darline-graham-isnt-saying-trans-women-in-sports-more-domestic-focused\/\">talked very little<\/a> about her brother\u2019s signature issue.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In fact, Graham Nordone told Fox News\u2019s Sean Hannity that her brother talked too much about national security and not enough about domestic affairs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI used to see him on the talk shows. I would watch him, and I\u2019d be like, \u2018Lindsey, you\u2019re just talking about national security all the time.\u2019 And I understand that\u2019s important, protecting our wars, national security, absolutely,\u201d she said. \u201cBut also talk about what matters to the average person, the price of groceries, the price of gas, healthcare, insurance. Those are the kinds of things that I\u2019m worried about. So I think that\u2019s important too.\u201d<\/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\">Maybe she\u2019s on to something. An Emerson poll taken at an earlier stage of the race <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/politics\/articles\/first-poll-south-carolina-senate-172808626.html\">found<\/a> 60% of likely Republican primary voters in the state named the economy as the top issue the next senator should address while only 4% picked foreign policy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even before the Iran war, an <em>Associated Press<\/em>-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll earlier this year <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/politics\/new-poll-shows-most-americans-think-trump-has-gone-too-far-with-military-actions-abroad\">found<\/a> that 56% of U.S. adults thought Trump\u2019s military interventions had \u201cgone too far.\u201d By June, an <em>Economist<\/em>-YouGov poll found that 68% <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/yougov.com\/en-us\/articles\/54936-two-thirds-americans-think-donald-trump-ineffective-negotiations-iran-june-5-8-2026-economist-yougov-poll\">wanted to wrap up<\/a> the Iran conflict as quickly as possible while 63% <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/yougov.com\/en-us\/articles\/54935-record-63-percent-americans-disapprove-donald-trump-handling-economy-june-5-8-2026-economist-yougov-poll\">disapproved<\/a> of Trump\u2019s handling of the economy, once his top issue.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump acknowledged the difference between the Grahams in a telerally before the runoff. \u201cShe\u2019s tough, she\u2019s strong, and she\u2019s the perfect person to carry on the legacy of her brother,\u201d he said said. \u201cVery different people. She\u2019s very much about that affordability. He was very much about foreign affairs, but he was good at everything, and she\u2019s good at everything. And with time, she will be one of our greats.\u201d<\/p>\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<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Or as Trump put it in his Graham eulogy, \u201cI will tell you, he never saw a war that he didn\u2019t like.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Graham Nordone\u2019s priorities may align more with the voters as Republicans try to defend their slim congressional majorities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s not to say that she will vote like Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/rand-paul\/\">Rand Paul<\/a> (R-KY). She is relying on her brother\u2019s staff and her political fortunes are closely tied to Trump.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4698197\/graham-nordone-norman-south-carolina-runoff\/\"><strong>DARLINE GRAHAM NORDONE DEFEATS RALPH NORMAN IN SOUTH CAROLINA SENATE GOP RUNOFF <\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Founding Fathers believed people should not elect U.S. Senators,\u201d Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), a strong critic of Trump\u2019s foreign policy, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RepThomasMassie\/status\/2092429264289165639\">wrote<\/a> on X in an apparent reference to Graham Nordone\u2019s primary triumph. \u201cThey were right.\u201d He was less ambiguous when he <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RepThomasMassie\/status\/2092416489823383594\">reposted<\/a> a call that she had won the race with a sarcastic, \u201cAnother MAGA victory!\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nevertheless, the senator\u2019s win could be the latest sign voters want their elected officials to concentrate on matters closer to home.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Voters favor domestic issues over foreign policy, GOP lesson<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2659,"featured_media":2649712,"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\/AP26233816188241.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[82672,34250,5894,84670],"class_list":["post-2649711","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-darline-graham-nordone","tag-midterm-elections","tag-politics","tag-republican-message"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26233816188241.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2649711","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\/2659"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2649711"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2649711\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2649715,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2649711\/revisions\/2649715"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2649712"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2649711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2649711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2649711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}