{"id":2649805,"date":"2026-08-26T09:06:02","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T13:06:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/darline-graham-wins-primary-runoff-after-big-push-from-trump\/"},"modified":"2026-08-26T09:10:43","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T13:10:43","slug":"darline-graham-wins-primary-runoff-after-big-push-from-trump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/darline-graham-wins-primary-runoff-after-big-push-from-trump\/","title":{"rendered":"Darline Graham Wins Primary Runoff After Big Push from Trump"},"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-wins-primary-runoff-after-big-push-from-trump%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=2649805&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>Sen. Darline Graham, sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham from South Carolina, has won the runoff election to become the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate seat in the upcoming November election. She was initially appointed to fill her brother&#8217;s position after his unexpected passing in July. Her victory was likely influenced by support from President Donald Trump. In the primary, she led but did not achieve a majority, necessitating a runoff against U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, whom she narrowly defeated with approximately 52% of the vote. She will face Democratic candidate dr. Annie Andrews in November. Despite concerns about her limited political experience-highlighted during a debate where she admitted to not being well-informed on national security-her supporters, including Trump, emphasized her integrity and her focus on national priorities. Lindsey Graham was a long-standing senator with a noted political career, and his legacy played a role in her campaign. The <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >race attracted significant campaign funding<\/a> and political attention, with Trump endorsing her and emphasizing her patriotism. Graham expressed heartfelt remembrance of her brother during her victory speech and acknowledged Trump&#8217;s crucial role in her success.  <\/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\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Sen. Darline Graham, the sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, has won the runoff to replace him as the Republican candidate on the November ballot.<\/p>\n<p>Graham, 62, was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/breaking-lindsey-grahams-sister-appointed-serve-rest-term\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">appointed<\/a> to temporarily fill the position by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, a Republican, in July after her brother\u2019s sudden passing at the age of 71.<\/p>\n<p>However, it was the support of President Donald Trump that likely pushed Darline Graham over the top on Tuesday. While she was the top vote-getter in an Aug. 11 special primary, she didn\u2019t get more than the 50 percent needed to avoid a runoff with the second-place finisher, U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman.<\/p>\n<p>With over 95 percent of the vote counted, Graham was ahead of Norman by a 52 percent to 48 percent margin, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/south-carolina-election-lindsey-graham-03899983c3702842039e99d62e16ddad\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Associated Press<\/a>. She\u2019ll now face the Democratic candidate, pediatrician Dr. Annie Andrews, in November.<\/p>\n<p>Despite Darline Graham\u2019s relative inexperience, the seat is considered a \u201clikely Republican\u201d hold by the election news website <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/campaign\/6022972-graham-wins-south-carolina-senate-primary\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Decision Desk HQ<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/trump-proposes-appointing-lindsey-grahams-sister-finish-term-fabulous-tribute\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Trump and his allies<\/a> viewed the race as a test of his strength in a party stronghold. The last Democrat to win a Senate race in South Carolina was the late Fritz Hollings in 1998. However, with the headwinds of a midterm cycle where Republicans control both houses of Congress and the White House, Darline Graham\u2019s relative inexperience compared to Rep. Norman was considered to be a potential stumbling block to her nomination bid.<\/p>\n<p>During a debate with Norman last week, she was seen to have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/painful-watch-darline-graham-completely-blank-debate-catastrophically-implode-simple-natl-security-question\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">flubbed a question<\/a> regarding Taiwan and the South China Sea, telling moderators that \u201cnational security is not my thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>However, she was able to play it off as being the \u201chonest\u201d mistake of someone who wasn\u2019t a career politician.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Sen. Darline Graham (R-SC) is asked at <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/SCSen?src=hash&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#SCSen<\/a> debate about Taiwan and the South China Sea: \u201cI\u2019m just going to be honest here; I\u2019m not that informed on national security, so \u2014 but I do support the military. My brother was in the Air Force for 33 years\u2026I\u2019m not a polished\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/c6WsSjWz6C\">pic.twitter.com\/c6WsSjWz6C<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 CSPAN (@cspan) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/cspan\/status\/2089882523295686765?\">August 19, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m just going to be honest here; I\u2019m not that informed on national security,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m not a polished politician up here. National security is not my thing, not my area of expertise, but I do support the military.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Norman, meanwhile, said Taiwan was \u201ca definite ally\u201d and commended Trump for \u201cenabling Taiwan to defend themselves against China.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Both sides put big money into the race \u2014 including a final push of $1 million by Norman, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/prager-on-ukraine-comedians-nato-america-and-environmentalists\/\" title=\"PRAGER: On Ukraine, Comedians, NATO, America And Environmentalists\">wealthy real estate developer<\/a> before he entered the House.<\/p>\n<p>During a Friday rally in Myrtle Beach, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-trump-ends-eulogy-beloved-friend-lindsey-graham-quoting-scripture\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Trump<\/a> said that he asked Darline Graham personally to run to replace the seat held by her brother, one of Trump\u2019s closest allies, \u201cbecause everyone loves her, everyone respects her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe only knows how to put America first,\u201d Trump said, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/2026-election\/darline-graham-winner-south-carolina-gop-senate-primary-rcna593581\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NBC News<\/a>. \u201cYou vote for her, you\u2019re going to be very proud of that vote.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Speaking in Columbia, South Carolina, Graham honored her late brother in her victory remarks.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI continue to miss Lindsey every day, and there is still a big hole in my heart. But I know he\u2019s looking down right now, very proud of everyone in this room,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMr. President, Lindsey truly loved you and viewed you as one of his closest friends. I appreciate that bond and appreciate all that you\u2019ve done for our country,\u201d Graham added.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur victory would not have been possible without you, and we are truly grateful. South Carolina is truly Trump country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Norman, meanwhile, acknowledged the effect of Trump\u2019s intercession in the race during his concession speech.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI never understood why he got in this race,\u201d Norman said. \u201cBut it is, it is what it is, and I\u2019ll accept it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He added that getting involved was Trump\u2019s \u201cprerogative\u201d and that \u201chis policies are good.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lindsey Graham was considered a shoo-in for a fifth term when he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/true-american-original-lindsey-graham-funeral-rivets-capital\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">died at his Capitol Hill home<\/a> of an aortic dissection on July 11, just one day after returning to the United States from a trip to Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to serving 23 years in the Senate, he served for eight years in the U.S. House and was a House impeachment manager during the impeachment trial of then-President Bill Clinton in 1999. He launched a brief campaign for the presidency during the 2016 cycle, but withdrew before the primaries began.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #171717; display: flex;font-size: 16px;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.5;margin: 24px 0;padding: 18px 20px 18px 30px;text-align: left;\">\n<div style=\"align-self: stretch;border-left: 3px solid #171717;flex-shrink: 0;padding-left: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<p><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/\">Choose The Western Journal as your preferred source on Google and never miss reporting that defends truth, protects freedom, and advances Western civilization<\/a><\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey == typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts = { \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs = [ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i = 0; i < inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! 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Darline Graham, sister of the late Lindsey Graham, wins GOP runoff to replace him on November ballot<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2649806,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/donald-trump-and-darline-graham-for-aug.-26-2026.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[82778,6571,5894,9973,3634],"class_list":["post-2649805","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-darline-graham","tag-elections","tag-politics","tag-primaries","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/donald-trump-and-darline-graham-for-aug.-26-2026.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2649805","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\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2649805"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2649805\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2649813,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2649805\/revisions\/2649813"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2649806"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2649805"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2649805"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2649805"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}