Donald Trump-backed Darline Graham’s chances of victory are in doubt as voters head to the polls today in the special election to fill the Senate seat vacated by her late brother Lindsey Graham.
Darline is facing off on Tuesday against South Carolina Republican Congressman Ralph Norman in the contentious runoff election.
She was appointed to fill Lindsey’s seat temporarily after his sudden death, but her decision to run for a full term has exposed a lack of experience in elected office.
Fox News host Lawrence Jones didn’t hold back in his assessment of Darline during a recent segment, calling her an ’empty vessel’ on issues most important to being a senator, such as national security.
She made a serious gaffe during last week’s runoff debate, admitting she is ‘not informed’ on national security, an issue of paramount importance to her late brother, and for a sitting senator.
A Republican operative with experience in South Carolina races told NOTUS that Darline could lose her race on Tuesday.
‘You’re running a campaign with a virtual unknown that took on all of her brother’s unfavorables without any of the goodwill that her brother has in a very short-sprint special election,’ said the operative.
Former South Carolina state representative Adam Morgan shared his on-the-ground perspective in the race on X, and it’s not looking good for Darline.
‘Turnout for early voting (which ended Friday) heavily favored Norman,’ Morgan wrote, before adding, ‘every straw poll across the state has Norman by a large margin.’
Polling shared by the Trafalgar Group late on Monday evening showed the two candidates deadlocked at 48 percent each with a 2.9 percent margin of error.
President Donald Trump listens to US Senator Darline Graham during a campaign rally last Friday, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Darline joined her brother Lindsey on the campaign trail during his presidential run in 2015
Despite a handful of gaffes, Darline has been backed heavily by President Donald Trump, who has held both in-person and virtual rallies for her in the final days of the race.
During his appearance in Myrtle Beach on Friday, Trump told rallygoers: ‘So what I really want you to do is pretend, please, that I’m on the ballot. Just come and vote. It’s so important,’ he said, hitting at the fact that he has in the past been the top driver of GOP voters to the polls.
She is also being backed by South Carolina’s senior senator Tim Scott, who has said he waited nearly a month to weigh in on the contest because he wanted to be sure of his choice.
While appearing on NBC’s Meet The Press on Sunday with host Kristen Welker, Scott was asked how confident he was that Darline would win on Tuesday night.
He responded that he was ‘very confident,’ adding, ‘It’s one of the reasons why I waited 30 days, to make sure that I felt like she was ready.’
‘I can tell you as the senior senator for the great state of South Carolina, the person I want in the Senate with me, Darline Graham, representing the people of South Carolina,’ Scott told Welker.
Darline has tried to set herself apart from her primary opponents, framing herself as a public servant, not a politician.
She has touted Trump’s endorsement on the campaign trail, as well as traditional GOP values.
Tim Scott listens as Trump speaks at the rally at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center on Friday
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, from left, Darline, her daughter Nicole Nordone and husband Larry Nordone at a campaign rally in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, last week
Nicole Nordone, left, and her father, Larry Nordone, at last Friday’s campaign rally for Darline
Her policy contributions have been slight as she has had to mourn the loss of her brother, govern, and run for his seat, all unexpectedly in the last month.
Showing her lack of policy chops, Darline made a painful self-inflicted gaffe during a South Carolina Senate debate last Tuesday night when she admitted she was ‘not that informed’ on national security, immediately handing her opponents a brutal weapon in the days before the runoff vote.
Her response immediately drew widespread attention online.
‘I’m just gonna be honest here. I’m not on national security – I’m not that informed on national security, so… But I do support the military.’
The extraordinary admission handed her opponent Ralph Norman a ready-made attack line in a race in which the Republican congressman has repeatedly argued that South Carolina needs an experienced senator with a deep understanding of foreign policy.
Norman seized on the exchange, presenting himself as the candidate better equipped to deal with America’s threats.
‘South Carolina deserves a Senator who understands Foreign Policy. I’m a peace through strength supporter! No more forever wars!’ he wrote on X.
Norman’s backers have included former South Carolina Governor and UN Ambassador from Trump’s first term Nikki Haley, whom he formerly backed for president against Trump in the 2024 primary election.
Darline was projected to win the runoff race this week per the prediction market site Polymarket, which gave her a 68 percent chance of victory on Sunday, compared to Norman’s 32 percent. By Tuesday, Polymarket’s odds had Darline at 63 percent and Norman at 37 percent.
Lindsey and Darline enjoyed a close relationship. He adopted her at the age of 22 when she was just 13, after the passing of both of their parents.
She has never served in elected office before but has supported her brother’s political career by attending campaign events and appearing in campaign ads.
Before being thrust into politics, Darline’s career was focused on disability services and workforce development, serving as a commissioner of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind.
Lindsey and Darline grew up sharing a single room behind the Sanitary Cafe, the bar, pool hall and liquor store their parents ran on Main Street in the small town of Central, South Carolina.
Lindsey won his 2020 reelection race with 54 percent of the vote. Trump got 58 percent of the vote statewide in his 2024 campaign. Annie Andrews, a doctor, won the Democratic primary for South Carolina’s US Senate seat in June.
