South Carolina Sen. Darline Graham on Tuesday capitalized on the strong support of President Donald Trump to win the Republican primary runoff to replace her late brother, Lindsey Graham, on the November ballot. With more than 95 percent of votes in, Darline Graham was leading Rep. Ralph Norman, 52 percent to 48 percent, The Associated Press reported. Trump picked up another win Tuesday in Oklahoma, where his preferred candidate for governor, former state Sen. Mike Mazzei, narrowly prevailed in a Republican runoff against state Attorney General Gentner Drummond. In South Carolina, the president was behind Graham every step of the way. She was initially appointed to fill the remainder of her brother’s term following his unexpected death from an aortic tear in July. She then announced she would seek a full six-year term after Trump encouraged her to run in the special election. “Mr. President, Lindsey truly loved you and viewed you as one of his closest friends," Graham said during her victory speech, addressing Trump directly. “I appreciate that bond and appreciate all that you've done for our country. Our victory would not have been possible without you, and we are truly grateful.” After she made it through the initial round of voting two weeks ago, Trump doubled down in his support: He hosted a rally for her in Myrtle Beach on Friday, opened the purse strings of his super PAC and encouraged other South Carolina Republicans — including Rep. Russell Fry, who finished third in the first round of balloting — to back her. At the Myrtle Beach rally, Trump urged Republicans to turn out for Graham in a state he carried easily in three presidential elections: “What I really want you to do is pretend, please, that I’m on the ballot.” Graham’s victory provides Trump with a key boost heading into November, when his sliding poll numbers could hurt the GOP’s efforts to maintain control of the House and the Senate. Trump’s endorsement, once viewed as a golden ticket to victory in Republican primaries, has lost some of its shine in recent months, with several Trump-backed candidates for House, Senate and governor falling short. Norman, who has been in the House since 2017, is coming off an unsuccessful run for governor, in which he placed third in the June primary. A member of the hard-line House Freedom Caucus and a staunch conservative, he reflected Tuesday on Trump's decision to support Graham. “The president got involved. He has that right. That's his prerogative,” the congressman told his supporters as a chorus of boos ran through the crowd. “His policies are good. I never understood why he got in this race. … But it is what it is, and I'll accept it.” Graham, who led a state commission that provides services to blind people, stumbled during a recent debate, when she acknowledged that she was “not that informed on national security” matters. That was at odds with the legacy of her late brother, a well-known defense hawk who crisscrossed the globe to promote an interventionist foreign policy. But Graham sought to deflect the criticism, presenting herself as a plainspoken everywoman who doesn’t “speak politician” and emphasized kitchen table issues over foreign affairs. Fellow South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, who also leads the National Republican Senatorial Committee, called his new colleague “the real deal.” In her speech Tuesday night, Graham invoked her late brother, who became her legal guardian after their parents died. “I continue to miss Lindsey every day, and there is still a big hole in my heart," she said. “But I know he's looking down right now, very proud of everyone in this room.” Graham enters the general election as the favorite against Democratic nominee Annie Andrews in a state that hasn’t elected a Democrat to the Senate in nearly three decades. Not long after the runoff was called, Graham turned her attention to Andrews, calling her "the most radical liberal ever nominated for a statewide office by the South Carolina Democratic Party." For her part, Andrews, a pediatrician, dismissed Graham in a statement as a candidate “who was appointed to this seat because of her last name and elevated by Donald Trump’s endorsement and political machine.” Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates the race Likely Republican. Oklahoma With his victory in the Republican gubernatorial runoff, Mazzei advances to a general election clash with Democrat Cyndi Munson, the state House minority leader. With more than 95 percent of votes in, Mazzei was leading Drummond by just over 2,000 votes out of more than 370,000 cast, the AP reported shortly before 11 p.m. Central time. His win helps Trump avoid another defeat for his chosen candidate in a gubernatorial primary. So far this year, the president’s picks for governor have lost primaries in Georgia, Iowa, South Carolina, Minnesota and Wyoming. Also Tuesday, Sooner State Democrats picked a self-described democratic socialist as their nominee for the state’s open Senate seat. Nurse N’Kiyla Jasmine Thomas finished more than 20 points ahead in her primary runoff against former nonprofit executive Jim Priest, a moderate backed by former Govs. Brad Henry and David Walters. Thomas will be a decided underdog in November against Rep. Kevin Hern, who easily won the GOP nomination in June. Democrats haven’t won a Senate election in Oklahoma since 1990.
