{"id":2650163,"date":"2026-08-26T19:18:01","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T23:18:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/south-carolina-runoff-shows-2028-gop-primary-may-be-wide-open\/"},"modified":"2026-08-26T19:24:06","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T23:24:06","slug":"south-carolina-runoff-shows-2028-gop-primary-may-be-wide-open","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/south-carolina-runoff-shows-2028-gop-primary-may-be-wide-open\/","title":{"rendered":"South Carolina runoff shows 2028 GOP primary may be wide open"},"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\">22<\/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%2Fsouth-carolina-runoff-shows-2028-gop-primary-may-be-wide-open%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=2650163&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>Senator Darline Graham Nordone&#8217;s narrow victory in South Carolina&#8217;s special election runoff has sparked speculation among political strategists that the state could be more competitive in the 2028 presidential primary. Nordone, a Republican supported by Donald Trump and outside spending, defeated rep. Ralph Norman, who had previously endorsed Nikki haley. While her win indicates that South Carolina remains a battleground, analysts emphasize that the race was heavily influenced by meaningful campaign spending, including millions from pro-Trump groups and self-reliant expenditures. Experts suggest that a well-funded candidate without Trump\u2019s backing could compete effectively in upcoming elections, but expect future contests to be much more intense. Additionally,although Trump\u2019s endorsement played a role,it is not always decisive in South Carolina politics. The state\u2019s Republican electorate appears somewhat divided, with a portion of voters not fully aligned with the MAGA movement. Looking ahead to the 2028 GOP primary, Vice President JD Vance currently leads in polls, though some strategists caution that early advantage doesn&#8217;t guarantee victory, and multiple candidates will likely challenge Vance in a competitive landscape. the recent election results highlight South Carolina\u2019s potential to remain a key battleground, with the dynamics of candidate support, campaign spending, and candidate profiles shaping future primary contests.  <\/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\">Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/darline-graham-nordone\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"23139\">Darline Graham<\/a> Nordone\u2019s (R-SC) narrow special election runoff victory is giving <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/south-carolina\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"524\">South Carolina<\/a> political strategists reason to believe the critical early presidential primary state could be wide open in 2028.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Graham Nordone defeated Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) 52.5% to 47.5% Tuesday in the Republican runoff to permanently replace her late brother in the Senate, which she entered with the endorsement of President Donald Trump and significant outside spending on her behalf.<\/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\/4701986\/michigan-democrat-doesnt-want-hasan-piker-to-visit-state-election-day\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>\u2018I pray we\u2019re not going to see him\u2019: Michigan Democrat doesn\u2019t want Hasan Piker to visit state until after Election Day<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/4701831\/south-carolina-senate-runoff-shows-2028-gop-primary-may-be-up-for-grabs\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>South Carolina Senate runoff shows 2028 GOP primary may be up for grabs<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4701762\/wes-moore-redistricting-setback-larry-hogan-judge\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Wes Moore dealt redistricting setback by Larry Hogan-appointed judge<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The contest had echoes of the 2024 presidential primary. Trump backed Graham Nordone, while former <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/united-nations\/\">U.N.<\/a> Ambassador and South Carolina Gov. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/nikki-haley\/\">Nikki Haley<\/a> supported Norman, who had endorsed Haley against Trump two years earlier.<\/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\">South Carolina Republican strategist David Wilson said Graham Nordone\u2019s single-digit win underscores that the state is \u201cstill competitive\u201d for 2028 GOP hopefuls. Wilson argued that many South Carolina Republicans \u201cagree with certain MAGA principles,\u201d but \u201cdon\u2019t necessarily align themselves with the MAGA movement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI don\u2019t think South Carolina is so MAGA-tized yet that someone who is not MAGA doesn\u2019t have a fighting chance,\u201d Wilson told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cWe saw this back in polling in 2012 and 2014 after the Tea Party came into existence. \u2026 Republican primary voters in South Carolina, with only a 5-point spread, still made it clear that there are a group of people who are out there who do not consider themselves to be MAGA.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another Republican strategist, who was granted anonymity to discuss the race, said Graham Nordone\u2019s win was less about Trump and more about the money spent on her race.<\/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\">\u201cGraham Nordone and her allies crushed Norman on the airwaves and in the mailboxes,\u201d the strategist told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To that end, MAGA Inc., Trump\u2019s super PAC, spent more than $827,000 on telephone calls and text messages encouraging voters to turn out for Graham Nordone, supplementing the likes of pro-green energy super PAC Invest in Tomorrow Coalition, spending $1 million against Norman after he advocated the repeal of federal <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/solar-energy\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"612\">solar<\/a> and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/wind-energy\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"1750\">wind<\/a> tax credits.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Outside groups spent roughly $400,000 in favor of Norman, while the candidate spent roughly $2 million of his own money on the campaign.<\/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\">For 2028, the strategist argued, the result suggests a well-funded candidate could still compete in South Carolina without necessarily having Trump\u2019s backing. But they also predicted the competition would be dramatically more intense than the Graham Nordone-Norman contest.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201c2028 in South Carolina will be [the] MLB playoffs,\u201d the source said. \u201c[A] 2026 GOP runoff in August was pretty much middle school JV baseball \u2014 a bunch of money wasted on not much talent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">South Carolina Democratic strategist Antjuan Seawright said that every election is fought around different issues and it was too early to tell the political environment of the next White House election.<\/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\">\u201cThe needs of South Carolina Republican voters and their desires will shift between now and 2028, depending on what happens on a couple different fronts,\u201d Seawright told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cI do think last night could be flirtation, but I don\u2019t think it\u2019s definition in terms of what the relationship 2028 would look like.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seawright emphasized that there were also \u201cindependent dynamics\u201d at play in the Senate runoff, including Graham Nordone\u2019s higher name ID because of her late brother\u2019s long tenure in office and Norman\u2019s baggage from Washington votes and a failed gubernatorial bid. He noted, however, that a Trump endorsement isn\u2019t always a silver bullet in South Carolina.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4698796\/trump-pro-family-agenda-bipartisan-support-economic-anxiety-midterms\/\"><strong>TRUMP\u2019S PRO-FAMILY AGENDA HAS WON BIPARTISAN SUPPORT, BUT ECONOMIC ANXIETY CLOUDS GOP MIDTERM HOPES<\/strong><\/a><\/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\">Earlier this year, South Carolina state Attorney General Alan Wilson ran better in the first round of the GOP gubernatorial primary than Trump-endorsed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette. While both made it into the runoff, Trump issued a co-endorsement of Wilson, who won the subsequent contest by 37 percentage points.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seawright also noted that Norman\u2019s supporters booed during his concession speech when Trump\u2019s endorsement of Graham Nordone was mentioned.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite the signs that South Carolina could be competitive in 2028, Vice President JD Vance would enter the GOP primary contest with a clear head start. Vance averages 40% support in hypothetical 2028 Republican primary polls in comparison to Secretary of State <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/marco-rubio\/\">Marco Rubio<\/a>\u2019s 23% and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump-jr\/\">Donald Trump Jr.\u2019s<\/a> 12%.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Republican strategist Matt Gorman, who used to work for Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tim-scott\/\">Tim Scott<\/a> (R-SC), argued that \u201cthe only way anyone can even try to beat Vance is head to head.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAnd even then it\u2019s an uphill challenge,\u201d Gorman told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cBut if there\u2019s three or more people competing in [South Carolina] for votes, it\u2019s Vance\u2019s to lose.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wilson, however, cautioned against assuming that Vance\u2019s early advantage would translate automatically into victory in South Carolina. He argued some of his support stems from his status as Trump\u2019s pick, but that didn\u2019t guarantee a landslide win, as evidenced by the Graham Nordone results.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cVance holds an advantage right now, but it\u2019s not a guarantee that he becomes the nominee simply because he has the advantage in his hand right now,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople [who] come to South Carolina have to face a voting population that says, \u2018Tell me more than what you said to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iowa\/\">Iowa<\/a> and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/new-hampshire\/\">New Hampshire<\/a>. Prove your worth here.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Graham Nordone&#8217;s narrow win hints at 2028 primary openness<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2652,"featured_media":2650164,"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\/AP26234008804797.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[41461,32773,33017,32378,41960],"class_list":["post-2650163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-2028-election","tag-gop-primary","tag-political-analysis","tag-presidential-race","tag-south-carolina"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26234008804797.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2650163","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\/2652"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2650163"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2650163\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2650167,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2650163\/revisions\/2650167"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2650164"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2650163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2650163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2650163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}