Norman loses to Darline Graham, sister of late S.C. senator, Lindsey Graham.
By Dakota Gold
Staff Writer
News
South Carolina Rep. and Rock Hill resident Ralph Norman lost to Darline Graham in the primary runoff election for the senate seat that took place on Aug. 25.
President Donald J. Trump endorsed Darline Graham after the passing of her brother and former South Carolina senator, Lindsey Graham.
South Carolina governor Henry McMaster appointed Darline Graham to serve the remainder of her brother’s term after the late senator’s death on July 11. Lindsey Graham died unexpectedly from a ruptured aorta caused by chronic heart disease.
The late senator Graham previously won the Republican primary on June 9 and was to face re-election in November.
During a Myrtle Beach rally on Aug. 21, Trump endorsed Darline Graham to honor the late senator.
“I’m doing this to honor Lindsey. That’s why I’m here. So, Darline, we got to win that race,” Trump said.
Darline Graham inherited the South Carolina senate seat from her brother who had been in office since 1995. Graham tells South Carolinians she wishes to stay in office and honor her brother’s legacy full term.
Darline Graham graduated from the College of Charleston with a bachelor’s in sociology and from South Carolina State University with a master’s in rehabilitation counseling.
She advocates for disability rights legislation and helped to undo a subminimum wage policy for people with disabilities when the state legislature voted to end it in 2022, according to PBS News.
Before the election, she served as commissioner of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind and worked at Clemson University for the South Carolina Department of Vocational Rehabilitation.
Darline Graham faced backlash during the candidate debate against Norman for her answer on a question surrounding national security and the significance of Taiwan and the South China Sea.
“I’m just going to be honest here. I’m not that informed on national security,” Darline Graham said.
Her brother was known as a “foreign policy hawk,” often advocating for Ukraine and Israel, and was a loud voice on defense policies and military presence. This response brought into question her ability to follow in her brother’s footsteps.
Norman is noted to have foreign policy experience through being a five-term congressman and member of the House Freedom Caucus. His Senate campaign focused on his political experience.
The primary election was expected to be close with Darline Graham’s endorsement and appointment by McMaster to serve in her brother’s place.
Ultimately, Darline Graham won the nomination with 52.5% of the vote. She will face democrat Annie Andrews in the midterm election this November.
Kelsey Medcalf, student body president of Winthrop University, interned for Norman this summer. She interned for his office in Washington D.C. and was a part of his campaign team.
Her duties consisted of things like taking phone calls, sending physical mail, taking concerns by email and any additional job the congressman needed. Medcalf was present for interviews, committee hearings and even on the House floor.
Medcalf said that campaigning is phone call heavy. The abrupt election meant the campaign team had to get the word out there as soon as possible.
It was difficult for Norman to gather a campaign team quickly because the majority of his previous team left for Alan Wilson after his loss in the governor race, according to Medcalf.
This may be a key reason why he was not able to rally more support in the Senate runoff.
Norman’s campaign focused on fighting for South Carolina and putting America first. Medcalf agrees that he puts his effort towards caring for his people.
“I see him as if South Carolina was a person,” Medcalf said.
The most common complaint about Norman that Medcalf noticed during the election was that he went against Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.”
Medcalf said the real story does not align with what the media said. Norman did not agree with the first draft and would not let the bill pass until it best benefitted his state.
“He sat in with legislators who called the president, and they wrote it and he argued about things he believed should be changed. Once they were changed, he passed the bill and has been backing it ever since,” Medcalf said.
Since the loss in August, Norman has returned to serving in South Carolina’s 5th congressional district. On Sep. 2, Norman posted on the social platform X addressing the election.
“I respect the decision of South Carolina voters, and I congratulate Senator Darline Graham on winning the Republican nomination. I will support our Republican nominee in November because defeating the Democrats and protecting our conservative values must remain the priority,” Norman said.
The midterm election will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
