Sen. Darline Graham won South Carolina's Republican Senate primary runoff on Tuesday, defeating Rep. Ralph Norman after 
Donald Trump endorsed the political newcomer and campaigned for her in the state. With counting almost complete, Graham had received 52.5% of the vote, the BBC reported, citing its US partner CBS News. She was appointed interim senator in July after her brother, Lindsey Graham, died suddenly.
What role did the president play? Trump hailed her selection as interim senator as "a fabulous tribute" and endorsed her before she had made her candidacy official, PBS NewsHour reported. At a Myrtle Beach rally on Friday, he urged a crowd of several thousand to vote for her. On Monday, MAGA Inc., the super PAC backing Trump and aligned Republicans, spent nearly $830,000 on voter calls and text message blasts for Graham. She thanked the president in her victory speech, saying, "Our victory would not have been possible without you."
How did the contest play out? Norman, a supporter of Trump who initially backed Nikki Haley in the 2024 presidential primary, sought to portray Graham as a puppet of Washington politicians, the BBC reported. Graham said "National security is not my thing, not my area of expertise" when asked during a recent debate about the US stance towards Taiwan. Norman, who PBS NewsHour reported decried Graham's outside PAC money and Trump's support for her at his Tuesday night watch party, said, "I never understood why he got in this race." His supporters booed Trump during his concession speech, The Hill reported.
What comes next? Graham will face Democratic nominee Annie Andrews in November, PBS NewsHour reported, in a state where no Democrat has won a US Senate seat in decades. Some Democrats see a glimmer of hope in South Carolina after her win, The Hill reported.
Where else was the president's endorsement tested? In Oklahoma, former state Sen. Mike Mazzei, whom Trump backed, defeated state Attorney General Gentner Drummond in the Republican runoff for governor. The winner of that contest, the BBC reported, is widely expected to become the next governor of the heavily Republican state. Trump notched crucial primary wins in both states, The Hill reported.
Figures referenced: Donald Trump. — JudgeMarket.
