Late South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham’s sister, Darline Graham, defeated Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC, 5th congressional district) in the Republican primary runoff. She will face Democratic candidate Dr. Annie Andrews in the November general election.
Graham, while having served in state agency positions in the past, brings no national political experience to the table.
That lack of experience became clear when she raised eyebrows among both Democrats and Republicans in a pre-runoff debate, saying she didn’t know much about relations with China or Taiwan and that she was “not that informed on national security.”
Her lack of experience triumphed over Norman’s 20+ years in the S.C. House and the U.S. House.
In her victory speech, Graham quickly veered into hot-button cultural issues rather than addressing the issues of economics and foreign relations.
“No one in South Carolina,” she said, “has pushed harder for the absolutely terrible idea of turning confused little boys into little girls and vice versa than [her opponent] Annie Andrews.”
She also engaged in exaggerated attacks on Dr. Andrews’ views on expanding affordable healthcare and restoring women’s choice in reproduction.
“Gun control, government-run healthcare, abortion until the moment of birth — bad idea after bad idea. Annie Andrews backs them all.” Included in those “bad ideas” is providing gender-affirming care for adolescents.
South Carolinians are more concerned with gender issues than they are with national security, according to Graham. In an August 19 interview on Fox News, she said, after her foreign policy gaff was brought up, “I think people in South Carolina are more worried about making ends meet. They’re concerned with boys in girls’ sports…”
It should be noted that the Palmetto State already bans trans girls from girls’ sports.
When it comes to expressing her views on healthcare, Graham again seems to have put her foot in her mouth when attacking government-administered health insurance like Medicare and Medicaid.
In her victory speech, Graham spoke about the experience of her parents who, she said, “worked long, hard hours to make it, make ends meet. We didn’t take vacation. If they were sick, they had to get up and go to work because if the doors weren’t open, we weren’t making money.”
Her mother died of Hodgkin’s lymphoma when Darline was 11; her father of a heart attack a year later.
The New Republic, in an August 28 story, noted the irony: “The senator’s parents died when she was a kid. That’s tragic. But it’s also tragic that she’s against the kind of care that could help untold numbers of people avoid that fate today.”
To be honest, Andrews doesn’t have any more national political experience than Graham. And, as Newsweek reported August 25, “South Carolina is a difficult state for Democrats, having backed Trump by 18 points in 2024. But Democrats believe the race could become more competitive as the president’s approval rating falls nationwide amid cost-of-living and broader economic concerns.”
Graham currently has a 31% favorability rating, with 49% unfavorable. Andrews’ favorability is at 36%, while her unfavorable is at 21%.
It’s been a long time since South Carolina has elected a Democratic senator. Ernest “Fritz” Hollings, who retired in 2005, was the last. This November will be interesting.
This story is brought to you by Rosedale Health and Wellness and Dudley’s Place.
