U.S. Sen. Darline Graham defeated U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman in Tuesday’s special Republican primary runoff, winning the nomination to replace her late brother on South Carolina’s November ballot even as Norman took his home county by a margin of nearly two to one.
The Associated Press called the race at 9:01 p.m. With 93 percent of the vote counted, Graham led with 182,456 votes, or 52.4 percent, to Norman’s 165,866 votes, or 47.6 percent, a difference of about 16,600 ballots.
Norman has represented York, Lancaster and Chester counties in the U.S. House since 2017. The loss ends the second statewide campaign he has run this year, after an unsuccessful primary bid for governor.
How York And Lancaster Counties Voted
Norman carried York County with 8,082 votes, or 66.4 percent, to Graham’s 4,086 votes, or 33.6 percent, with 54 percent of the county’s ballots counted as of 9:17 p.m.
Lancaster County broke the other way. Graham took 4,253 votes there, or 53.3 percent, to Norman’s 3,726 votes, or 46.7 percent, with 99 percent counted. Losing a county inside his own congressional district cost Norman ground he could not make up elsewhere.
His strongest returns came from the Upstate. Norman won Greenville County with 32,887 votes, or 67.5 percent, to Graham’s 15,844, and Spartanburg County with 16,899 votes, or 65.6 percent, to Graham’s 8,880.
Graham ran up her largest margins along the coast. She took Horry County with 26,459 votes, or 73.3 percent, to Norman’s 9,618.
Trump’s Endorsement Shaped The Race
Graham was appointed by Gov. Henry McMaster to serve the remaining months of Lindsey Graham’s term after the senator died July 11. She and Norman were the top two finishers in a field of 10 in the Aug. 11 special primary, with Graham taking roughly 33 percent to Norman’s roughly 25 percent.
President Donald Trump endorsed Graham before she formally entered the race, urged her to run for a full term and campaigned for her Friday in Myrtle Beach, telling a crowd of several thousand to vote for her to protect tax cuts. On Monday, MAGA Inc., the super PAC supporting Trump and allied Republicans, put nearly $830,000 into her campaign for voter calls and text message blasts, according to The Associated Press.
Graham told voters throughout the short campaign that she would back Trump’s agenda, pointing often to her sponsorship of a voting bill the president has made a priority. Early in the primary, when Senate obligations kept her away from candidate events, she sent voters video messages saying she was working for them in Washington.
Norman Ran On His Record In Congress
Norman, among the most conservative members of the U.S. House, campaigned on his legislative experience and his willingness to take unpopular positions, including occasional disagreements with Trump. He backed former Gov. Nikki Haley over Trump in the early part of the 2024 presidential primary.
A developer before he entered politics, Norman put his own money into the race, including more than $1 million in the closing week. His endorsements came from Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Mike Lee of Utah, former South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint and Turning Point Action.
A Debate Answer That Followed Graham
The two met once for a runoff debate. Asked whether the United States has a national security interest in Taiwan and the South China Sea, Graham said national security was not her area and that she was not well informed on it, then turned the answer toward her brother’s record and toward domestic concerns such as affordability. Norman called Taiwan an ally and credited Trump with helping the island defend itself against China. He argued afterward that her answer showed she was not qualified for the office.
That argument reached voters locally. Rock Hill resident Mike Sellers told the AP he voted for Norman on Tuesday in part because Graham’s experience level did not satisfy him, and said her brother’s service in the seat did not entitle her to it.
The November Matchup
Graham will face Democrat Annie Andrews, a Charleston physician who won her party’s primary outright in June. Andrews built her campaign around a challenge to Lindsey Graham and has broadened her case against Republicans since his death.
No Democrat has won a U.S. Senate seat in South Carolina in decades. Lindsey Graham won his 2020 race by 10 percentage points in what was then the most expensive contest in state history.
The general election is Nov. 3. Certified county returns will be posted at scvotes.gov, with York County results also linked at yorkcountysc.gov.
Vote totals are AP estimates as of 9:18 p.m. Aug. 25, 2026. The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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Thomas Hyslip lives in Tega Cay with his wife and daughter. After 27 years in the U.S. Army and Federal Law Enforcement, he retired to pursue his passion for teaching. Tom is now an Assistant Professor of Instruction at the University of South Florida. In 2 short years he has won 10 awards from the South Carolina Press Association, including first place in column writing, education beat reporting and best podcast.
