Welcome to a special edition of At the Races! Throughout the 2026 primary season, watch for these updates from the CQ Roll Call campaign team on what you need to know for Election Day. Know someone who’d like to get this newsletter? They can subscribe here.
By Daniela Altimari, Nick Eskow and Mary Ellen McIntire
South Carolina Republican voters decide Tuesday on a replacement for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham in a special election runoff that will test President Donald Trump’s political clout, which has taken a few hits this primary season.
Graham won the June 9 GOP primary but died on July 11 from an aortic tear. His sister, Darline Graham, who was appointed to serve out his remaining term, is vying with Rep. Ralph Norman in the special election runoff to be the Republican nominee for the full six years in the Senate.
Darline Graham, who has never held elective office, entered the race at Trump’s urging just days after her brother’s unexpected death. Since then, the president has forcefully advocated on her behalf, hoping for Graham to avoid the fate that’s befallen several primary losers endorsed by him this cycle.
