The Trumpian storm surrounding the name Darline Graham

Darline Graham, sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, has won the South Carolina Senate by-election, narrowly defeating MP Ralph Norman. 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 serve out Lindsey’s term. What was supposed to be a temporary appointment 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 hers: at a campaign event for the senator which he attended, he openly told the audience to vote “as if I were on the ballot”.

As well as spending his own money, Trump channelled funds to Graham via MAGA Inc., the main Super PAC – a fundraising group authorised to collect unlimited sums of money. 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”. The whirlwind campaign was fraught with obstacles for Graham, and her lack of political experience was evident; this became a factor in the race against Norman, who sought to portray her as a creation of the Washington elite and himself as the MAGA warrior. With nine years as a member of the House of Representatives within the Freedom Caucus – one of the party’s most right-wing groups – his pedigree is beyond doubt: during the failed coup of 6 January 2021, he implored Trump to declare martial law to prevent Joe Biden from taking office. Despite this act of loyalty, in the 2024 primaries he backed Nikki Haley over him.

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.