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Appointed Sen. Darline Graham has advanced to a runoff election in the special Republican Senate primary in South Carolina, the Associated Press reported, in the race to succeed the late Sen. Lindsey Graham.With no candidate topping 50% of the vote, Sen. Darline Graham will be joined by one other contender in the runoff in two weeks, in a primary field that included Rep. Ralph Norman, Rep. Russell Fry, former Gov. and former Rep. Mark Sanford. Tuesday’s primary was held one month to the day after the late longtime senator suddenly died at age 71.The nomination showdown is the latest test of President Donald Trump’s immense grip over the GOP and the power of his endorsements in Republican primaries, as the president backed Graham, who is the late senator’s younger sister. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster last month appointed Graham to fill the remainder of the current Senate term, which concludes at the end of the year.REPUBLICANS DEFY TRUMP, JUMP INTO SOUTH CAROLINA SENATE RACE DESPITE HIS HANDPICKED SUCCESSOR Republican Gov. Henry McMaster of South Carolina, right, appointed Darline Graham, center, to fill the remainder of the term of her brother, the late GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham (AP Photo)Graham, as she voted on Tuesday, said she’s running to help “President Trump get his agenda passed.”Norman, who unsuccessfully campaigned this year for the GOP gubernatorial nomination in the race to succeed term-limited South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, and Fry, a two-term congressman, are both House allies of Trump and also showcased their support for the president in their Senate campaigns.DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., speaks to reporters as he leaves a House Republican Conference meeting at the Cannon House Office Building on May 20, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)Sanford, who briefly launched a long-shot and unsuccessful White House GOP nomination challenge against Trump in the 2020 presidential primaries, is known as a fiscally conservative budget hawk. Sanford pointed to the nation’s debt as a key motivator behind his decision to launch a Senate campaign.SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., speaks during the GOP stump event held for Republican candidates for Senate in Charleston, S.C., on Aug. 6, 2026. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)The large field of GOP contenders also included businessman Mark Lynch, who lost to Lindsey Graham by nearly 30 points in the June Republican Senate primary.The Trump endorsement hasn’t proven to be a sure bet this cycle in solidly-red South Carolina.THE MIDTERM SENATE RACES THAT COULD FLIP THE BALANCE OF POWER IN CONGRESS Former Governor and Rep. Mark Sanford, R-S.C., speaks during the GOP stump event held for Republican candidates for Senate in Charleston, S.C., on Aug. 6, 2026. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)Trump backed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette for the GOP gubernatorial nomination — in the race to succeed the term-limited McMaster — ahead of the state’s early June primary.CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APPEvette was the top vote-getter in the primary but lost the ensuing runoff election against South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson in a landslide. And Trump, ever hungry for a victory, endorsed Wilson in addition to Evette days before the runoff.The winner of the Senate runoff election in two weeks will be considered the clear front runner in the midterms against Democratic nominee Annie Andrews, a pediatrician. Paul Steinhauser covers the national campaign trail from coast to coast for Fox News
