Donald Trump announced Friday that he has encouraged Darline Graham to seek a full six‑year Senate term for South Carolina, following her recent swearing‑in after her brother, Senator Lindsey Graham, died unexpectedly.
In a Truth Social post, Trump said he spoke with Darline Graham at the White House. “I asked Darline, for the Good of our Nation, to run for the U.S. Senate in the Special Republican Primary,” he wrote.
“I hope Darline does this, as there would be nobody better to honor the legacy of her beloved brother, Lindsey,” Trump said. “Darline, who comes from an absolutely incredible family, has been a WINNER all of her life and, should she accept, has my Complete and Total Endorsement.”
“RUN, DARLINE, RUN!” the president added.
A spokesperson for Darline Graham did not respond to a request for comment. Before being appointed to the Senate by Republican Governor Henry McMaster following her brother’s death, Graham served as a commissioner at the South Carolina Commission for the Blind and had not previously held elected office; she had, however, appeared at her brother’s campaign events.
Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican who had represented South Carolina since 2003, died last Saturday at the age of 71 from an aortic dissection, according to a preliminary determination by the District of Columbia medical examiner. Funeral plans were announced Friday, featuring a service in Washington on July 28 followed by two additional ceremonies in South Carolina on July 29.
A foreign policy hawk and prolific negotiator, Graham was involved in talks that produced bipartisan breakthroughs as well as impasses. He criticized Trump during the 2016 presidential race, before later becoming one of the president’s closest Senate allies.
He was seeking a fifth term in the November midterm elections for deeply Republican South Carolina and had won his primary last month. To fill the vacancy, the state will hold a special primary on August 11. Trump’s endorsement of Darline Graham complicates the race, which has drawn interest from several Republican officeholders across South Carolina.
The Republican primary winner will face Democratic nominee Annie Andrews in the general election.
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