Battle Lines Drawn in U.S. Senate Over Darline Graham’s Attempt To Hold Her Brother’s Seat

Senator Darline Graham’s decision to seek a full six-year term in the U.S. Senate is already dividing members of Congress’s upper chamber. Ms. Graham was sworn into office last week after her brother, Senator Lindsey Graham, unexpectedly passed away. The late senator from South Carolina represented his state on Capitol Hill for more than three decades — first for eight years in the House and later for more than 23 years in the Senate. The governor of South Carolina, Henry McMaster, appointed his sister, Ms. Graham, to the Senate last week at the urging of President Trump. On Monday — less than one week after she had been sworn into office — Ms. Graham announced in an interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity that she would run in the special Republican primary on August 11 to serve a full term. Mr. Trump has endorsed her. “I’m in,” Ms. Graham said. “I’ve been praying a lot, talking to my family … I know I’m a hard worker. I learned that from Lindsey.”Even before Ms. Graham announced her intention to run for a full term, two prominent Senate conservatives said they would support another candidate in the primary. Senators Mike Lee and Rick Scott say they want Congressman Ralph Norman — a hardline House Freedom Caucus lawmaker — to take the Senate seat come January.“I’m proud to endorse Ralph Norman to be the next senator for South Carolina,” Mr. Lee said on Monday. “The Senate needs a champion for the people, and that’s why I’m proud to support Ralph Norman for Senate.”“Ralph is a conservative fighter who will stand with President Trump and help him deliver on the promises he made to the American people,” Mr. Scott said in a statement Monday. “I’ve watched him put in the hard work, and I know he will deliver.”Mr. Norman has served in the House for nearly a decade, representing the northeastern part of the state. He has made a name for himself as a conservative unwilling to bend to House leadership, much to the chagrin of some of his colleagues. Mr. Norman officially announced his Senate candidacy over the weekend, though he was not the only House Republican to do so. Congressman Russell Fry, who unseated a GOP lawmaker who had previously voted to impeach Mr. Trump, said on Monday that he, too, would run in next month’s Senate primary. Mr. Norman was expected to retire at the end of this year. He lost the recent Republican gubernatorial primary in his state, meaning he was on track to leave office altogether. Mr. Norman pointed out on Monday that, should Mr. Fry win the GOP Senate nomination, then his seat would remain open for the first few months of 2027, giving House Democrats additional leverage over the president, even if they do not retake the House. Senate Republican leadership is sticking by Ms. Graham, however. The number three Senate Republican, Senator Tom Cotton, announced on Monday that he was backing Ms. Graham. “She’ll be a principled conservative leader and a strong advocate for South Carolina families. She has my full support,” Mr. Cotton wrote on X of Ms. Graham. The majority whip, Senator John Barrasso, also endorsed Ms. Graham on Monday. “Darline Graham is an excellent senator. She’ll continue to be an excellent senator and she has my full support,” Mr. Barrasso told Punchbowl News. The majority leader, Senator John Thune, is staying neutral. On Monday, he told reporters that he is not weighing in as the field shapes up. “She obviously carries on Lindsey’s legacy, but I think she’s a very accomplished person in her own right,” Mr. Thune told reporters on Monday. “I’ll let the voters in South Carolina decide.”

Battle Lines Drawn in U.S. Senate Over Darline Graham’s Attempt To Hold Her Brother’s Seat

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