South Carolina Republicans got their first real look at the woman who inherited a Senate seat without ever asking for it. Darline Graham stepped onto a stage in Lexington on Saturday to make her case to voters who, frankly, mostly know one thing about her: she’s Lindsey Graham’s sister. Sure, she got the president's blessing and a family legacy behind her, but, I’m sorry, I’m still not convinced she’s the right person for the job.
When Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) died unexpectedly last month, it was a tremendous blow, and President Donald Trump promptly recommended that Gov. Henry McMaster (R-S.C.) appoint Darline to fill the seat to serve out the remainder of Graham’s term. I didn’t really agree with it, but I understood why it happened. But then Trump wasted little time backing her for the permanent job, posting a "Complete and Total Endorsement" on Truth Social, putting his thumb on the scale for a woman who, frankly, we know little about politically, and perhaps didn’t even want the job. Why would she?
And sure enough, Trump’s endorsement didn’t stop other Republicans from wanting to take a shot. At least nine other candidates have filed to run, including Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), Rep. Russell Fry (R-S.C.), and former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.).
And even South Carolina voters aren’t entirely swayed by Trump’s endorsement.
A new Emerson College survey shows Rep. Ralph Norman leads the field with 16%, followed by Mark Lynch at 13%, while Rep. Nancy Mace and Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette are tied at 10%. Rep. Russell Fry (9%), Gov. Henry McMaster (8%), Sen. Darline Graham (6%), and former Gov. Mark Sanford (5%) trail behind, with 18% of voters still undecided. The poll is the first real snapshot of where this contest stands, and while it’s anyone’s game, Darline Graham’s low showing suggests that even South Carolina voters aren’t just going to hand her the election just because Trump says so.
That may change. She held her first major campaign event on Saturday in Lexington, a candidate forum hosted jointly by the South Carolina Republican Party, GOP gubernatorial nominee Alan Wilson, and the River Bluff High School Lexington One Center for Law and Policy Development. Hundreds of Republicans showed up. She leaned hard into her outsider status. Graham has no political background. McMaster appointed her to the seat, and now she's arguing that her distance from Washington is exactly what South Carolina needs.
"I've never had any desire to be a politician. I'm here today because I'm answering President Trump's call to serve. I want to stand up for South Carolina, and I want to fight for President Trump's agenda," Graham said.
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I'm all for outsiders shaking up the political establishment. Fresh blood and real-world experience can be a good thing in Washington. Fresh blood without any qualifications is a different story.
Graham's campaign website leans heavily on sentiment. "Darline Graham didn't seek this job. She answered the call when her brother, Senator Lindsey Graham, passed away suddenly. Accepting the appointment to the U.S. Senate from Governor Henry McMaster, Darline said it plainly: 'Lindsey has always been there for me, and now, I'll be there for him,'" the site reads.
Touching? Sure. It doesn't qualify her for the U.S. Senate. There are plenty of other Republicans in this race, several with far more relevant experience than a woman who, by her own admission, never wanted to be a politician in the first place.
The "answering the call" narrative is doing a lot of heavy lifting here, and I'm not buying it. Answering a call from Trump doesn't automatically make one qualified.
Maybe she'll prove me wrong. She has real advantages heading into Aug. 11: the power of incumbency, her brother's name recognition, and Trump's endorsement sitting right there on her campaign materials. I hope voters don't hand her the nomination simply because Trump told them to. I still say a Senate seat doesn't belong to a politician or a party. It certainly doesn't belong to a politician's family, no matter how sympathetic the circumstances that put her there. Darline Graham hasn't earned South Carolina's support yet. Maybe she will, but she hasn’t yet.
