WHAT DARLINE GRAHAM’S WIN MEANS FOR THE GOP. It was hard to predict exactly how the runoff to choose the new Republican Senate candidate from South Carolina would work out. The whole process unfolded remarkably quickly following the unexpected death of Sen. Lindsey Graham on July 11. Since then, the state Republican Party organized a primary, held debates, and then held a runoff on Tuesday. It was won by Graham’s sister, Darline Graham, who is already in the Senate, having been appointed by Gov. Henry McMaster to serve out the final months of her brother’s term.Sen. Darline Graham defeated her runoff opponent, Rep. Ralph Norman, by 52% to 48%. The result was widely seen as a victory for President Donald Trump, who had encouraged Graham to run — she likely would not have done so had the president not actively pressed her. Trump’s influence had taken a couple of hits in South Carolina, in the governor’s race and in the redistricting battle, so the Senate runoff was seen as a test of whether he still has big-time clout in South Carolina. Answer: He does.So Norman had one huge thing going against him. Who wants to run against Donald J. Trump in a deep red state? That was especially true for Norman, because Trump remembered very well that in 2024, Norman supported former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign, which was premised on the Republican Party moving beyond Trump. After Norman’s defeat, Trump took a moment to rub it in. “Ralph Norman had the look of a good congressman (not great, but good), but ruined his career when he endorsed Nikki Haley,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.