Sen. Darline Graham Nordone is leaning heavily on President Donald Trump’s endorsement in the fight for a full term, holding a narrow lead over Rep. Ralph Norman as South Carolina’s GOP runoff results trickle in Tuesday night.
Nordone, who was appointed to the seat after her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, passed away just 45 days ago, has faced a stiff challenge from Norman and other Republicans in the special primary. With more than a third of the vote counted, Nordone leads Norman by roughly eight points, according to early returns.
An Unlikely Entrance
Few had heard of Nordone before her brother’s death, and she had gone by “Mrs. Nordone” for two decades. But Trump’s call for South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster to appoint her as a “fitting tribute” to his late friend catapulted her into the Senate, and she quickly announced her bid for a full six-year term.
Her appointment didn’t clear the field. Norman, Rep. Russell Fry, and former Gov. Mark Sanford all jumped into the race. Norman finished second in the primary with about a quarter of the vote, enough to force a runoff against Nordone, who took about a third.
Norman’s Home Turf and the Count So Far
As returns began to roll in, the race has been tight. Nordone’s lead has been steady at around eight points with over a third of the vote in, but Norman is doing well in his home county of Greenville, where only about 12 percent of the vote is in. He’s been winning there by about 68 percent, but he’ll need an overwhelming showing the rest of the way to close the gap.
In the northeast, where Rep. Russell Fry’s influence is strong, returns are going for Nordone, who Fry endorsed after Trump requested it. Nordone is also doing well beyond her low country base in Charleston, though Norman is running up the score upstate.
Most of the votes reported so far are early votes, cast before Election Day. Nordone is up 57 percent to 43 percent with only about 9 percent of the projected vote in, but that’s likely to shift as Election Day votes are counted.
Trump’s Role
Trump has done what he can to boost Nordone, holding a rally in the state and a tele-rally Monday night. A Trafalgar poll released Monday night showed the race virtually tied, but internal polling from both camps reportedly has Norman ahead by double digits.
Nordone has relied heavily on Trump’s endorsement, but she has done little to help herself. In the only televised debate, she said she “is not that informed on national security,” and she has declined to offer specifics on immigration, even telling reporters she has no thoughts on DACA. She also couldn’t immediately comment on birthright citizenship when asked.
Her campaign staff has also been caught on tape, with a staffer telling a reporter granted a rare interview “nothing too difficult here.” Nordone has spurned media, including multiple requests from Breitbart News, while Norman joined Breitbart News Saturday on SiriusXM for a 20-minute interview.
Norman’s Record
In the House, Norman’s vote was “always there when Trump needed him,” although he sometimes needed to be pulled back to the center to support compromises Trump’s legislative team engineered. But his 2024 endorsement of Nikki Haley, made based on longtime political friendship, likely ensured Trump’s runoff support of Nordone.
Norman is trying to run up the score upstate in his home region, and he’s doing well, but the race remains fluid. With polls closed in South Carolina at 7 p.m. ET and Oklahoma at 8 p.m. ET, attention is on the Palmetto State, where the outcome is far from certain.
Either candidate could win, perhaps even decisively, as the count continues.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/08/25/election-night-livewire-trump-endorsed-sen-darline-graham-nordone-faces-rep-ralph-norman/