By
Ed Kilgore,
political columnist for Intelligencer since 2015
A hastily assembled field of Republican U.S. Senate candidates in South Carolina will face its first test on August 11 in a special primary to choose a replacement for the late Lindsey Graham on the November ballot. By most accounts, the front-runner is Lindsey’s adored younger sister, Darline Graham, who was appointed by Governor Henry McMaster to serve out the rest of her brother’s current term but then decided to move up from the caretaker role to a candidacy for a full term. Aside from having the Graham name and Lindsey’s well-regarded statewide political organization, Darline managed to snag a quick, perhaps impulsive endorsement from Donald Trump.
But important as a Trump endorsement undoubtedly is in GOP primaries, Darline Graham’s novice status along with some significant conservative resentment of Lindsey that had built up over the years have combined to encourage other candidates to stay in the race. It also matters a great deal that South Carolina has a majority-vote requirement for party nominations. So in practice, the special primary has turned into a race in which several prominent Republicans are battling for a spot opposite Graham in a virtually certain August 25 runoff.
