Will Darline Graham Nordone be the new republican nominee for Senate in South Carolina?
Darline Graham Nordone led the first round and has Trump’s turnout operation behind her, so her winning the Republican Senate nomination is likely.
Graham enters the runoff with the larger demonstrated constituency and unusually strong late support from Trump, allied groups and leading statewide Republicans. That support should help her mobilize voters in a low-turnout contest. Norman remains dangerous because Graham’s lead has reportedly narrowed, her debate mistakes exposed vulnerabilities, and regional Republican leaders could help him consolidate voters who backed other candidates. Graham is therefore likely to win, but the runoff retains meaningful uncertainty.
- Graham begins with a clear first-round advantage, giving her a larger existing coalition to retain and expand in the two-candidate runoff.On August 11, Graham received 109,881 votes to Norman’s 82,628 and finished first in the special Republican primary.
- Trump’s direct intervention should strengthen Graham’s turnout operation and keep wavering pro-Trump voters in her column.On August 21, Trump campaigned with Graham in Myrtle Beach and urged supporters to vote as though he were personally on the ballot.
- Substantial allied spending expands Graham’s ability to contact and mobilize voters during the runoff’s closing days.Reporting published August 24 said a Trump-linked super PAC spent approximately $830,000 on texts and voter calls supporting Graham.
- A reportedly narrowing race leaves Graham vulnerable to a late Norman surge despite her first-round lead.On August 23, the Washington Times reported that Graham’s advantage in unpublished polling had narrowed before the runoff.
- Graham’s debate mistakes may reinforce doubts about her experience and push undecided or eliminated-candidate voters toward Norman.During the August 18 debate, Graham said she was not well informed on national security when asked about Taiwan and the South China Sea.
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