Republican operatives have warned that even a presidential endorsement may fall short of carrying Lindsey Graham’s sister to victory in the fight for her late brother’s seat
Darline Graham, 62, took the oath on July 14, days after Gov. Henry McMaster handed her the seat for its final months. She had never run for office in her life. Her brother reached the Senate in 2003 and died at 71 while chasing a fifth term. She is South Carolina’s first female senator.
Now she wants the job in her own right, and half a dozen GOP strategists told Axios on Friday that her head start is flimsier than it looks.
The state holds a special Republican primary on August 11. Scott English, who was chief of staff to former Gov. Mark Sanford and is staying neutral, said that “voters will base their decision on how they feel about” her late brother.
The family name is the first problem, the GOP strategists argue. Conservatives at home never warmed to the deceased senator’s dealmaking, his immigration positions, or his old jabs at Trump. He cleared June’s primary with under 60 percent against poorly funded challengers. Strategists expect his sister to hit the same ceiling.
The second problem is that almost nobody knows her. Rep. Ralph Norman built recognition across the state during a losing run for governor. Rep. Russell Fry logged seven years as a state lawmaker. Sanford, the former governor, is running too. Early polling puts Graham behind. Former state GOP chair Chad Connelly told Axios that she has “a lot of work to do.”
Her politics are also hazy. Colleagues of her brother never noticed her digging into policy during her time at South Carolina’s Commission for the Blind, Axios reports. Footage emerged Wednesday of aides steering her clear of a journalist asking about the SAVE America Act, the Trump-backed election bill she had already agreed to co-sponsor. She has not signed up for any debates.
Her sole recorded political gift went to a Republican who broke ranks on abortion. The Swamp, the Beast’s newsletter on Washington’s insider class, revealed this week that Graham gave $100 to GOP state Sen. Katrina Shealy, who fought her own party’s near-total ban on abortion in 2023. Graham went to social media the day after the story landed. “I’m proud to be pro-life and stand up for the unborn and expecting moms,” she wrote, naming seven bills she is backing to restrict the procedure. Her brother spent a decade trying to outlaw abortion nationwide.
Then there is the state’s allergy to handed-down power. Voters have twice refused to elect a senator who arrived by appointment. It happened in 1954. It happened again in 1966. Trump and McMaster both endorsed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette in June’s gubernatorial primary. She lost.
The unease has surfaced in public, too. Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso said he had not “had a discussion on each of the policy issues with her.” Sen. Mike Lee and Rep. Nancy Mace have endorsed Norman instead. Senate Majority Leader John Thune welcomed her arrival this month but has stayed out of the primary. No Senate leader has backed Graham for a full term. Neither has Gov. McMaster.
She is not short of resources. Her brother’s campaign account still holds upwards of $2 million, and her advisers are checking whether the money is legally within reach. The super PAC behind him said Thursday it would put $900,000 into her campaign. She also inherited his staff and a wave of sympathy.
The Daily Beast has contacted Darline Graham’s representatives for comment on this story.
