Darline Graham is running for the South Carolina Senate seat her brother left behind, but her voting record shows she has not always been a supporter of Donald Trump.
Graham, who was sworn in last month to serve the remainder of her brother’s term after he died unexpectedly on July 11 at age 71, did not vote in his 2024 presidential primary or in the 2016 general election, according to state records reviewed by The Washington Post.
The revelation comes after the Daily Beast reported that Graham donated to a female Republican legislator after she blocked a total abortion ban in South Carolina.
The Daily Beast has contacted Graham and the White House for comment.
But Graham is hardly the only Republican in the race with a complicated history with Trump.
Rep. Russell Fry, who won Trump’s backing when he first ran for his Myrtle Beach-area House seat in 2022, also skipped the 2024 presidential primary, though he publicly backed Trump.
Rep. Ralph Norman has been more openly willing to break with the president. He endorsed Nikki Haley, Trump’s chief Republican primary rival, in 2024, becoming the only House member to do so.
It comes as the candidates have been distancing themselves from Trump.
Whoever wins the Senate seat will serve a six-year term, Norman told The Post in an interview Wednesday, and “will be there long after Trump’s gone” from Washington.
Norman said he supports Trump’s agenda and would work to advance his policies in the Senate. But, he added, “he’s got a year or two years.”
Former Gov. Mark Sanford, another major contender, has also maintained his independence from Trump. Sanford, a longtime critic of the president, ran against Trump in the 2020 Republican presidential primary and has clashed with him over issues including the Iran war.
He has also made government spending a central issue. When asked about federal spending under Trump, Sanford acknowledged that it has increased during the president’s tenure.
Meanwhile, Graham has carefully set herself apart from the other candidates by positioning herself as a Trump ally.
She supports Trump’s SAVE America Act and has even endorsed eliminating the Senate filibuster to help pass the legislation — a notable break from her brother, who supported keeping the filibuster.
That has earned her Trump’s endorsement.
The president is scheduled to hold a tele-rally Monday night aimed at boosting her campaign.
But Trump’s endorsement may not be enough to secure the seat for Graham.
The president recently backed a candidate in South Carolina’s June Republican gubernatorial primary, only for that candidate to falter. Trump ultimately issued a last-minute dual endorsement in an apparent effort to prevent an embarrassing defeat.
Fry pointed to that episode as evidence that candidates cannot simply rely on Trump’s support.
“Anyone in this race would love to have the endorsement, but people also have to run their own race, too,” Fry told The Post.
Meanwhile, the special election remains wide open.
Tuesday’s primary is expected to send the race to an Aug. 25 runoff, since none of the leading candidates appears likely to win more than 50 percent of the vote. Graham has led in most polling but does not appear to have enough support to avoid a second round.
South Carolina Attorney General Wilson, the Republican nominee for governor, said voters are still weighing their options.
“What I’m hearing is, people are like, ‘The election’s on Tuesday, and I still don’t know who I’m voting for.’ I’ve heard that more than anything, because they’re so impressed with many of these candidates,” Wilson told The Post.
“While they love the president and they’re supportive of the president, they want a candidate who can stand on their own two feet.”
