It remains to be seen how helpful he can be in November.

Aug 26, 20262:57 PM

Evan Vucci/Reuters

On Friday, Donald Trump made a rare appearance at a political rally in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on behalf of Darline Graham, telling voters to pretend he was on the ballot when they voted. On Tuesday, they listened.

Graham entered politics just six weeks ago, when she was appointed to fill the Senate seat vacated by the sudden death of her brother, Lindsey Graham. At first, she was a placeholder, but then she decided to run for a full term for the seat with Trump’s backing. The race immediately became a test of whether Trump’s backing could help Graham, a political neophyte known to voters only because of her last name, win a primary election in the deep-red state.