Darline Graham won in South Carolina

Darline Graham, sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, has won the South Carolina Senate by-election, narrowly defeating MP Ralph Norman: once the count was complete, in fact, only 18,000 votes separated the two candidates. Following a meeting at the White House with Trump, which took place shortly after her brother’s death, Darline – who has no political experience – had agreed to be appointed as a senator to complete Lindsey’s term. What was supposed to be a temporary role lasting just a few months, however, turned – with Trump’s approval – into a race to secure a full term. 

Trump backed her right to the end, linking his name to that of the candidate: at a campaign event for the senator which he attended, he openly said to vote “as if I were on the ballot paper”. The President’s endorsement thus proved decisive once again, even though there were reasons to believe the opposite: with the rising cost of living and the ongoing war in Iran, Trump seemed to have lost the magic touch that used to lead to victory for whoever he supported. Furthermore, in South Carolina itself, he had recently backed Deputy Governor Pam Evette for the governorship. This turned out to be a miscalculation, and the President had been forced to extend last-minute support to her rival, Attorney General Alan Wilson, who went on to win the race. 

As well as spending his own money directly, Trump channelled funds to Graham via Maga Inc., the main Super PAC – a fundraising group linked to him that can raise unlimited sums of money – through which he spent around $800,000 in support of Darline’s campaign, using phone calls and text messages targeted at potential Republican voters. Graham publicly thanked him on the victory stage, stating that “South Carolina is Trump’s state” and that “our victory would not have been possible without him”. He then added that his brother Lindsey “is looking down on us and is proud of every one of us”.

The whirlwind campaign was fraught with obstacles for Graham, and her lack of political experience was evident, becoming a factor in the race. During the debate between her and Norman held before the vote, in response to a question on the importance of Taiwan to US national interests, she admitted to “not being sufficiently informed on national security”: a remark for which she was immediately attacked by her opponent, who wrote on social media that “the state needs a senator who understands foreign affairs”. This gaffe reignited the issue of her inexperience, particularly given that she is replacing her brother, a foreign policy hawk. Graham defended her response, stating that she “doesn’t speak political jargon” and that “people in South Carolina are more concerned about men competing in women’s sports”. 

Norman sought to portray Graham as a creation of the Washington elite, whilst presenting himself as the state’s true MAGA warrior. Having served nine years as a member of the Freedom Caucus – one of the party’s most right-wing groups – his conservative credentials are beyond doubt: during the failed coup attempt on 6 January 2021, he personally wrote to Trump’s chief of staff imploring the president to declare martial law to prevent Joe Biden, the election winner, from taking office. Despite this act of loyalty to the president, he decided not to back him in the 2024 primaries, preferring Nikki Haley instead, and this may have alienated the tycoon’s most staunch supporters.

In November, Darline Graham will take on the Democratic candidate, the paediatrician Annie Andrews. Despite her lack of experience, it should be an easier contest: the Democrats have not won a state election in South Carolina since 2006, and do not appear willing to invest in the campaign.