Early voting in South Carolina’s Republican primary runoff has narrowly outpaced the initial primary, setting the stage for a contentious Tuesday contest between Sen. Darline Graham Nordone and Rep. Ralph Norman. According to data from the South Carolina Election Commission, 63,712 voters cast ballots during the early voting period last week, slightly edging out the 61,775 early votes recorded in the Aug. 11 primary.
The Aug. 11 special primary, which determined the Republican nominee to succeed the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, drew a total of 335,693 votes—just over 11 percent of eligible voters. The runoff, triggered because no candidate secured a majority, has seen both campaigns ramp up efforts to mobilize their bases in the two-week sprint to Tuesday’s election.
County-Level Shifts and Key Battlegrounds
County-level data reveals notable declines in early voting participation in Florence, Georgetown, and Horry counties—areas that largely supported Rep. Russell Fry in the primary. Horry County, home to Myrtle Beach, saw President Donald Trump rally for Graham Nordone on Friday in a bid to boost Election Day turnout. Trump, who has endorsed Graham Nordone, addressed a packed crowd at the city’s convention center.
“We have to get Darline and other people elected,” Trump said at the rally. “They’re only fighting Darline because they want me to lose, which isn’t fair, but I’m doing this to honor Lindsey. I’m doing this to honor Lindsey.”
Meanwhile, Norman has focused on the Upstate region, with both Greenville and Spartanburg counties slightly exceeding their early voting numbers from the primary. Norman won both counties on Aug. 11 and has leveraged his legislative and congressional record to appeal to conservative voters.
“We’re going to fight and we’re going to win this race because I’m the only proven candidate that has got credentials, and my record is my resume,” Norman said in an exclusive interview with Breitbart News.
Endorsements Galore
The weekend saw both campaigns release extensive lists of endorsements. Graham Nordone has garnered support from Trump, Sen. Tim Scott, Gov. Henry McMaster, Fry, 1st District nominee Jenny Costa Honeycutt, and Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette. McMaster voiced his endorsement on X, praising Graham Nordone for continuing Lindsey Graham’s legacy and supporting Trump’s America First agenda.
Norman, in contrast, unveiled backing from Sens. Mike Lee and Rick Scott, former Sen. Jim DeMint, Rep. Nancy Mace, former U.N. Ambassador and Gov. Nikki Haley, former Gov. Mark Sanford, and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.
Polls in the Palmetto State open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. With early voting nearly matching the primary’s pace, both campaigns are urging supporters to turn out as the race heads into its final hours.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/08/24/runoff-early-voting-narrowly-outpaces-primary-in-south-carolina/