JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
A special Republican primary to replace the late Senator Lindsey Graham on South Carolina's ballots this November is headed to a runoff. That will be held in less than two weeks. Graham died unexpectedly of a heart condition last month. And his sister, Darline, was appointed to fill out the remainder of his term. She is also running for her own full term starting next year. While South Carolina is a staunchly conservative state where President Trump has strong support, last night's results revealed some of the limits of the president's influence. South Carolina Public Radio's Gavin Jackson is with us now. Hi.
GAVIN JACKSON, BYLINE: Hey. Thanks for having me.
SUMMERS: Thanks for being here. So, Gavin, Senator Darline Graham, who's backed by President Trump, advanced to the runoff. But she didn't win outright. How does she plan to win over voters in the next few weeks?
JACKSON: Right. So we have seen a U.S. Senate campaign, which typically takes more than a year to run, condensed into a single month. Even then, things didn't really kick up until after Graham's funeral two weeks ago. So since then, Senator Darline Graham's name has been everywhere during that time. She's attended services for her brother, votes in the Senate events and campaign stops. So a lot of earned media for her. But she notes her humble beginnings and uses her current challenges to really connect with voters on kitchen table issues.
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DARLINE GRAHAM: I'm a conservative Republican. I'm not a career politician. I know how families are struggling to make ends meet because I've been there, too.
JACKSON: So you heard, like, two subtle digs right there at her opponent, Congressman Ralph Norman, who served in the State House and Congress for several years. Graham is a political outsider, essentially, who does not come from a wealthy background like Norman.
SUMMERS: OK. Let's talk about Norman. How does he plan to campaign?
JACKSON: Yeah. So Norman has also had a huge advantage because he had just concluded his yearlong, statewide gubernatorial bid in June. And that was a race that he placed third in. So it really wasn't surprising that they ended up in a runoff together. But Graham received 33% of the vote, which was kind of a surprise, and puts her in a strong position for the next two weeks. Norman was eight points behind her. But just to be clear, Norman does support Trump's agenda. But the two have had differences over the years, including when Norman endorsed his longtime friend, former U.N. ambassador and former Governor Nikki Haley, in the 2024 presidential election. But this is what he said this Tuesday night about not having Trump's endorsement.
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RALPH NORMAN: But he chose who he did. And that's fine. South Carolina's going to decide the next Senator.
JACKSON: And that's something that several voters have told me. They're not voting for folks just because of Trump's endorsement. And what we're seeing in this race and other Republican primaries in South Carolina are Republicans exerting their independent streak, relying more on what they personally know about these candidates who have been in the public eye for years.
SUMMERS: And, Gavin, what does all of this mean for President Trump's influence in this race?
JACKSON: Well, here's how he explained it Tuesday night at Joint Base Andrews when asked whether he would campaign for Graham. And he wasn't exactly clear on that.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I mean, just so you understand, I like the other people of the race also. They're all Trump. I mean, they're all Trumpers (ph). But, you know, I endorsed her. I think she's great. It's really in honor of her brother. And she's really a very smart woman.
JACKSON: So it's a bit unclear, again, what he may do, if he's going to come down here and campaign for her in the next couple days.
SUMMERS: And just quickly, Gavin, what else are you watching for?
JACKSON: Well, of course, there's ideological differences among people in the same party throughout the state. And Norman has a strong grip on the conservative upstate, home to places like Greenville, which is near his district. But Graham needs to shore up support in the Republican stronghold of Horry County, which is home to Myrtle Beach. So it's going to be...
SUMMERS: OK.
JACKSON: ...A pretty big battle in the Palmetto State over the coming days.
SUMMERS: South Carolina Public Radio's Gavin Jackson. Thanks.
JACKSON: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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