Darline Graham Leads 9-Way Senate Primary as Trump Endorsement Faces Resistance
Updated
Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 3
Darline Graham Leads 9-Way Senate Primary as Trump Endorsement Faces Resistance
3 articles · Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 3
Summary
Recent polls show Darline Graham ahead by a double-digit margin in South Carolina's Republican Senate primary, but she still faces a possible Aug. 25 runoff if no candidate wins a majority on Aug. 11.
Trump backed Graham for a full six-year term after she was appointed to fill Lindsey Graham's seat until January, yet rivals and some Republican donors say voters should choose from the crowded field rather than accept a handpicked successor.
Nine candidates are seeking the nomination, with Ralph Norman, Russell Fry and former Governor Mark Sanford competing for the second runoff spot; a 10th hopeful is challenging whether he can appear on the ballot.
Critics question Graham's qualifications, low-profile campaign and even her ballot eligibility under a state GOP voting rule, while allies argue she was thrust from private life into office after her brother's July 11 death.