NewzWASHINGTON (AP) — South Carolina Republicans will return to the polls Tuesday for the fourth time since June to replace the late U.S. Lindsey Graham on the fall general election ballot. Graham won the June 9 Republican primary for renomination to the seat he first won in 2002, but his unexpected death on July 11 from an aortic tear created a vacancy not only for his current U.S.
Senate seat but also as the party’s pick to compete for another six-year term. The finalists for the Republican nomination are Graham’s sister, U.S. Darline Graham, who was appointed to serve out the remainder of her brother’s current term, and U.S.
Ralph Norman, a five-term congressman who ran for governor earlier in the year and placed third in the primary. Darline Graham placed first in the Aug. 11 special primary but fell shy of the vote majority needed to avoid Tuesday’s runoff.
She received about 33% of the vote, compared to about 25% for Norman. Russell Fry placed third with about 20% of the vote. Graham swept the counties across central South Carolina, including the Columbia area, as well as the state’s Low Country region, which includes Charleston.
She scored her highest percentages in counties along the Georgia border. Norman performed best in the state’s Piedmont and Upcountry regions, including the Greenville area. Fry did best in the eight counties in the Pee Dee and Waccamaw regions that he represents in Congress.
Fry endorsed Graham after he lost the primary. She also has key backing from Republican U.S. Tim Scott and President Donald Trump, who was an early proponent of Graham and held a campaign rally with her Friday in Myrtle Beach.
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