Trump Endorsement Fails to Clear Field for Lindsey Graham’s Sister as 11 Other Republicans Enter Race
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President Donald Trump has endorsed Sen. Darline Graham Nordone (R-SC) to run for re-election to her late brother’s Senate seat, but that hasn’t dissuaded eleven other Republican contenders from throwing their hats in the ring.
Graham, 71, passed away unexpectedly on July 11. The siblings were close, as Lindsey Graham had become her legal guardian after both of their parents died within 15 months of each other when his younger sister was only 13 years old.
Under South Carolina law, Gov. Henry McMaster (R) had the power to appoint someone to finish Graham’s term, and both Trump and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) urged the governor to choose the senator’s sister.
Darline Graham (this is the name she has been using on official Senate communications) was sworn into office on July 14. Her appointment to the seat allows her finish the remainder of her brother’s term, through January, but does not affect this year’s election. Trump soon declared he was encouraging her to run for the seat and posted a “Complete and Total Endorsement” for her on his Truth Social account.
Most political observers felt that Graham’s chances of winning the election got a major bump after Trump’s endorsement, but she is still a political rookie and an unknown quantity for the Republican base.
Lindsey Graham had easily won his primary back in June, before his death, and now South Carolina Republicans will be “launching into a two-week sprint toward the Aug. 11 special GOP primary,” the AP’s national politics reporter Meg Kinnard reported.
The filing deadline to run for the South Carolina Senate seat closed on Tuesday, the day of Lindsey Graham’s memorial service.
Darline Graham and eleven other Republicans had filed to run, Kinnard reported, including Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), Rep. Russell Fry (R-SC), former South Carolina congressman and governor Mark Sanford, and several other candidates, some of whom Kinnard noted their colorful biographies:
— Mark Lynch, a Greenville businessman who tried to oust Graham in the regular Republican primary last month, swiftly relaunched his campaign following Graham’s death. He’s expected to put much of his own money into his Senate run.
— Duke Buckner, a Walterboro attorney who is a perennial candidate. He has challenged U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, South Carolina’s lone congressional Democrat. Buckner also is a former public school English teacher.
— Danny Ford II, a farmer from the town of Central and son of former Clemson University football coach Danny Ford. He ran unsuccessfully earlier this year for the Republican nomination for South Carolina agriculture secretary, making it to the runoff before losing to the Trump-endorsed candidate.
— Mark McBride, the former mayor of Myrtle Beach. He unsuccessfully sought federal office before, including a 2004 Senate primary loss to former Republican Sen. Jim DeMint. McBride also lost to Fry in the 2022 GOP primary for the 7th Congressional District.
— Darius Mitchell, a resident of Columbia, who calls himself a “Hip Hop Republican.” In social media posts, he has voiced support for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
— Clark Neilson, a businessman in Charlotte, North Carolina, who has said he plans to build a home on land he owns in Charleston County. He said he’s in the process of becoming a South Carolina resident.— Glenda Gail Parker, retired Air Force officer who recently moved to Myrtle Beach. She calls herself a conservative independent who leans Republican. She supports high-speed rail and a strong military.
— Sam Shepherd, a biomedical engineer and entrepreneur. He lives in Lexington County and has said he is focusing his campaign on cutting taxes and federal spending.
On the Democratic side, Annie Andrews, a Charleston pediatrician, won her primary. She had been targeting her campaign messaging to fighting an underdog battle against Lindsey Graham; one video ad she shared on social media featured her bashing the incumbent as a “swamp creature,” “warmonger,” and “bootlicker.”
A week ago, Andrews shared a poll she said showed her within the margin of error of the Republicans who were expected to enter the race.
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