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U.S. Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., speaks with reporters after a debate with U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., ahead of the special GOP Senate runoff election to replace the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Newberry, S.C.<\/p>\n
Meg Kinnard\/AP Photo\/Meg Kinnard<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump yells to reporters after disembarking Air Force One, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md.<\/p>\n
Julia Demaree Nikhinson\/AP Photo\/Julia Demaree Nikhinson<\/p>\n
U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., left, reaches over to shake hands with Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., during a debate ahead of the special GOP Senate runoff election to replace the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., in Newberry, S.C., Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026.<\/p>\n
Meg Kinnard\/AP Photo\/Meg Kinnard<\/p>\n
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) \u2014 President Donald Trump is scheduled to travel to South Carolina on Friday to make a last-minute appeal for Sen. Darline Graham, his chosen candidate to replace her brother, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, ahead of a Republican runoff next week.<\/p>\n
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Voters will decide Tuesday whether Graham or Rep. Ralph Norman will be Republicans’ nominee on the November ballot.<\/p>\n
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The Myrtle Beach rally is the sort of campaign trail occasion that Trump hasn\u2019t done as much of this year, compared with past midterms, making it a signal of the importance Trump is placing on a win for his pick.<\/p>\n
It’s also an opportunity for the president to wade into friendly territory ahead of the midterm elections that leave his party\u2019s control of Congress hanging in the balance. South Carolina hasn\u2019t elected a Democrat statewide in decades, its House delegation has only one Democrat and Trump\u2019s own victory in the 2016 presidential primary here helped propel him toward the nomination and ultimately the White House.<\/p>\n
In the scramble of a special Republican primary election that was called after Lindsey Graham’s sudden death last month, Darline Graham was picked by Gov. Henry McMaster \u2014 also a Trump ally \u2014 to serve as interim senator and entered the special primary at Trump’s urging. The president had said he told McMaster that appointing her would be a \u201cfabulous tribute to Lindsey,\u201d although the governor pointed out that he asked Graham to serve \u201cin the wee hours\u201d after her brother’s death, adding that Trump \u201cthought it was a great idea\u201d when he later told him of his pick.<\/p>\n
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The president pressed \u201cRUN DARLINE, RUN\u201d on social media, and gave her his \u201cComplete and Total Endorsement\u201d before she’d officially announced her campaign. And at every turn on the campaign trail, she’s reminded voters of this anointing, as well as her commitment to advancing his priorities if elected. On the eve of the primary two weeks ago, he held a tele-rally for Graham.<\/p>\n
Trump also considered Lindsey Graham a close ally and friend, though they ran against each other in 2016 and had their ups and downs, so part of the visit is personal for Trump. He eulogized his longtime golfing partner and wartime consigliere at Washington National Cathedral last month.<\/p>\n
Like Trump, Darline Graham has portrayed herself as a political outsider<\/p>\n
A political newcomer, Graham has stressed that she’s \u201cnot a politician,\u201d as she’s hurriedly introduced herself to voters across the state. Regularly touting her support for Trump\u2019s policies, as well as his endorsement, she has pointed to her years heading up a state agency, as well as her weeks on the job in the U.S. Senate, as evidence of her readiness.<\/p>\n
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Saying she\u2019s \u201canswering President Trump\u2019s call to serve,\u201d she has repeatedly said she wants \u201cto fight for President Trump\u2019s agenda\u201d and cited his core goals of border security and passing the SAVE Act voting bill as among her top priorities.<\/p>\n
Graham has said she’s focused on kitchen table issues like gas prices and household spending rather than international affairs. Earlier this week, after stumbling on an elemental foreign policy question related to U.S. interests in Taiwan, Graham defended herself as \u201cnot a polished politician up here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump has made no comment on the gaffe, which garnered attention after Graham told moderators, “National security is not my thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump’s rally will be in Myrtle Beach, a conservative \u2014 and growing \u2014 area<\/p>\n
By meeting voters in Myrtle Beach, both Trump and Darline Graham are aiming to capitalize on a growing part of the state that’s known to be deeply conservative, loyal to Trump and full of new residents.<\/p>\n
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It’s also the home district of Rep. Russell Fry, the House ally whose name Trump had floated as an \u201coutstanding\u201d possible replacement for Graham after the senator’s death. Elected to the House in 2022 with Trump’s help, Fry ousted a five-term GOP congressman who had voted to impeach Trump a year earlier.<\/p>\n
Running in the Senate primary, Fry touted his support for and previous backing from the president, but was hampered by the absence of it in this race. Finishing third, he swiftly endorsed Graham, a calculated move for the 41-year-old, two-term congressman, who, dating to the origins of his 2022 election, has seen the ramifications for some Republicans who have crossed Trump.<\/p>\n
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