Sen. Darline Graham (R-SC) and Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) are set to face off in Tuesday’s runoff election for the South Carolina Senate seat. Though Graham led the pack in the primary election with more than 32% of the votes, her recent confession on the debate stage may create some problems for the newly minted senator in the upcoming runoff.
“I’m just going to be honest here,” Graham said in response to a question about the importance of Taiwan to U.S. interests during a debate against Norman. “I’m not that informed on national security so — But I do support the military.”
That self-inflicted wound is seemingly just a moment of honesty from Graham: up until July, she did not have any experience as an elected official.
Graham was tapped for the role by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) after her brother, longtime Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), passed away unexpectedly last month. Shortly after she started her temporary role — to finish her brother’s current term — Graham announced she was running to keep the seat for the next six years.
Graham got President Donald Trump’s endorsement for her campaign. Trump had also recommended McMaster appoint the late senator’s sister to serve the remainder of his term.
“I don’t speak politician — I was just honest,” Graham said during an appearance on Sean Hannity’s Fox show, addressing her debate confession. “Of course Taiwan is our friend. But I think people in South Carolina are more worried about boys in girls’ sports.”
Norman, a far-right, five-term congressman, took advantage of that debate moment, calling out his opponent for her lack of understanding in foreign policy and seeking to align himself with the MAGA movement’s (now considerably complicated) resistance to “forever wars.”.
“South Carolina deserves a Senator who UNDERSTANDS Foreign Policy,” Norman said on social media. “I’m a PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH supporter! No more forever wars!”
South Carolina deserves a Senator who UNDERSTANDS Foreign Policy. I’m a PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH supporter! No more forever wars! pic.twitter.com/r4RGRDSoHd
— Ralph Norman (@RalphNorman) August 19, 2026
Norman has represented South Carolina’s 5th Congressional District since 2017. Norman started out on Capitol Hill after winning a special election to replace former Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-SC), who vacated his House seat after Trump appointed him to be the director of the Office of Management and Budget during his first term.
Experience, however — which Norman is using to distinguish himself ahead of Tuesday’s runoff — can come with baggage. And in Norman’s case it certainly does.
As you may remember, in January 2021, just days before Joe Biden’s inauguration, Norman sent a text message to then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows urging Trump to invoke martial law (or as he misspelled it “Marshall Law”) and block the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory.
“Our LAST HOPE is invoking Marshall Law!! PLEASE URGE TO PRESIDENT TO DO SO!!” Norman wrote.
A member of the House Freedom Caucus, on Capitol Hill Norman holds a strict anti-abortion and a pro-Second Amendment voting record. He opposes federal gun control and universal background check legislation. Norman also consistently votes against debt ceiling increases and large spending bills.
Norman initially endorsed former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley over Trump in the 2024 presidential primary. That seemingly created a sour relationship between the two despite Norman’s public MAGA loyalist persona.
It is no secret that Trump holds grudges against those in the Republican Party who at one point or another questioned his grip over the party.
When asked by the Associated Press in a recent interview if his previous support for Haley hurt his chances in this race, Norman denied it. “No,” he answered. “And I told the president it was a loyalty issue. I came in with Nikki. She’s from South Carolina, and he understands that. And again, anybody can take anything and use it to say that was a reason. Look, the minute she lost (the 2024 presidential primary against Trump), I called him, and my record since he’s been in office has been lock solid.”
Norman added that voters will have to decide how to weigh the fact that he supported Haley.
“If they want to hold that against me, it’s out there. I’m not apologizing,” Norman added, referring to his previous support of Haley over Trump.
Norman has also been vocal about his opposition to “endless wars” amid Trump’s war on Iran.
“(Trump) did a great job of taking out the nuclear threat that we had for 40 years. … but there’s still a lot of work to be done,” Norman told AP about the ongoing Iran war. “The American people do not understand the Strait of Hormuz not being completely controlled by America … And gas prices, as a result, are staying high. And I think one of the worst things the president wants is the public to turn on him because he’s not ending it.”
Before his bid for the Senate, Norman ran to be the Palmetto State’s governor. He lost that bid, finishing third in the gubernatorial primary over the summer.
