U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman said he will vote for Republican Sen. Darline Graham in the Nov. 3 election to keep a promise he made as a candidate, but he will not appear at events with her and his family will not vote for her.
Norman made the comments on “The Nashional Briefing with Kelly Nash,” a conservative podcast. The Rock Hill real estate developer, who represents South Carolina’s 5th Congressional District, including York County, said in the interview that his family would not vote for Graham in November, even though he has endorsed her and says he supports the Republican ticket.
“I took a pledge when I ran for the Senate, and for governor really, to support the Republican nominee. I’m going to do that,” Norman said.
His remarks land as Graham faces Democrat Annie Andrews in a race the Cook Political Report recently moved from likely Republican to lean Republican. Early voting in South Carolina runs from Oct. 19 to Oct. 31.
Norman Faults Trump and State Party
Graham was appointed to the seat held by her brother, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died July 11, and with Trump’s backing she defeated Norman in an Aug. 25 runoff with 52.5 percent of the vote. The Senate bid was Norman’s second loss of the year after he fell short in the June Republican primary for governor.
Norman said Trump was wrong to push Graham into the race. “What he did to South Carolina to try to force South Carolinians to vote for a candidate and hire for six years is just not right,” he said.
He said Trump called congressmen on Graham’s behalf and that more than $1 million was spent against him the Friday before the runoff, with about $10 million spent overall. He also criticized the South Carolina Republican Party and said Graham’s support from Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski and U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn showed him “something was up.”
Norman said Graham’s campaign contacted his chief of staff about a joint appearance. “I would not do an event with her, and I made that pretty clear,” he said, adding that the only time he has spoken with her was when he called to concede.
Write In Effort
Republicans who remain frustrated with how the special primary played out have launched a “Write In Ralph” campaign urging voters to write in Norman’s name rather than vote for Graham. Norman is not part of the group and said he would not tell voters what to do, though he acknowledged its odds are not high.
“My message, vote for conscience and let the chips fall where they may,” he said.
Asked whether a loss to Andrews would fall on the Republican Party, Norman agreed. “This race shouldn’t even be close, and it wouldn’t be if I were in the race,” he said.
What Comes Next
Norman said he expects to return to real estate and to work behind the scenes recruiting business people to run for office. He named former Sen. Jim DeMint and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows as people he plans to work with.
Election Day is Nov. 3. Voters can find early voting locations and sample ballots at scvotes.gov.
Source: “The Nashional Briefing with Kelly Nash”
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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 Associate 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.
