One month after the sudden death of Senator Lindsey Graham, his sister Darlene Graham emerged victorious Wednesday night in the first round of South Carolina's Republican primary, securing her place in an August 25 runoff election. The winner of that contest will face Democratic nominee Annie Andrews in November's general election to fill the Senate seat left vacant by Graham's passing.
The special primary followed an unusually compressed campaign timeline necessitated by the senator's death. Final vote tallies showed Darlene Graham capturing first place with 32.7 percent of the vote, while U.S. Representative Ralph Norman came in second with 24.7 percent. Since neither candidate reached the 50 percent threshold required for an outright victory, the two will compete in a second round to determine the Republican nominee.
In her first speech following the results, Darlene Graham addressed the emotional toll of recent weeks. "The last month has been brutal. My brother died exactly one month ago, I buried my dear brother and didn't have much time to process it," she told supporters. "I took on the role of U.S. Senator, and I went through this brutal campaign schedule. And I'm still standing. If that doesn't tell you I'm a strong person and a fighter — nothing will."
