President Donald Trump’s endorsement of Darline Graham to run for a full six-year term for her brother Lindsey Graham’s seat is not being warmly received by South Carolina Republicans. If anything, it appears that Trump’s endorsement after the longtime senior senator from South Carolina died suddenly has only spurred on challenges to his little sister.In the days leading up to his endorsement, Rep. Ralph Norman, a member of the hardline Freedom Caucus, told reporters that he had reached out to the president and asked for the president’s endorsement. “I said ‘can you endorse me if I run,’” Norman told reporters ahead of his announcement. Nonetheless, despite Trump’s endorsement of Darline Graham Nordone, the late Charlie Kirk’s group, Turning Point USA, endorsed Norman. And shortly after his announcement, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), who had teased a run herself, endorsed Norman on the steps of the Capitol. Sen. Lindsey Graham's sister Sen. Darline Graham faces headwinds despite President Donald Trump’s blessing (AFP/Getty)“I don't believe in nepotism,” Mace told The Independent. “I don't believe in that. I think we want to have a difference of opinion. Ralph Norman again has a 100% conservative voting record.”Filing for the race began this week and, many of the candidates including Graham and Rep. Russell Fry also filed to run in the race. A special primary will take place Aug. 11, since Graham had already won the Republican nomination for the Senate seat. Annie Andrews, a pediatrician, is the Democratic nominee in the race in a state Trump won by double digits. Still, Mace said she did not fault Trump for getting involved in the race. “I endorsed a candidate, the president has every right to endorse a candidate,” she said.Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) lost her primary for goveror after Trump endorsed someone else while Rep. Thomas Massie, (R-Ky.) lost his primary after Trump endorsed his opponent. (AFP/Getty)Despite his popularity in the state, Trump’s record in South Carolina when it comes to endorsements is decidedly mixed. While he endorsed Fry against then-Rep. Tom Rice (R-S.C.) after Rice voted to impeach Trump after the riot at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, he also endorsed against Mace in 2022 after she criticized Trump for his actions on January 6, though she did not vote to impeach him.And last month, his endorsement for governor fell flat. Trump endorsed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette in gubernatorial primary, snubbing Mace and Norman. Evette would advance to the runoff against Attorney General Alan Wilson. Ahead of the runoff, Trump would double-endorse Evette and Wilson. Norman and Mace also ran in the gubernatorial primary. But the lack of a Trump endorsement hurt them and Norman would place third while Mace, who had gone from being a moderate-sounding Republican to an ardently anti-transgender member of Congress, would place fifth in her primary.Wilson’s father, longtime Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), said he will not be endorsing in the race. “I respect his endorsement, and it means a lot,” he told The Independent. “But we will have good people running, and so and just as in the race for governor, it has an impact because people really respect the president.” The elder Wilson took himself out of the running to replace Graham fairly early.And South Carolina is not the only state where Trump has fallen short when it comes to his picks for governor. In Iowa, he endorsed Rep. Randy Feenstra, who fell short to Zach Lahn. In Georgia, he endorsed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones to be the Republican nominee for governor. But that fell short as well as businessman Rick Jackson won the Republican nomination. This week, Trump held a rally with Jackson. At the same time, Trump’s endorsement packs a punch. He endorsed Rep. Julia Letlow (R-La.) against Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) after Cassidy voted to convict Trump for his actions on January 6. And Trump endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over incumbent Republican Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas). And in many ways, the late Lindsey Graham largely won his primaries this year thanks to enthusiastic support from Trump.