NBCSouth Carolina
Goldstein: -4.0Tone: 33.3CAMEO 12
Appointed Sen. Darline Graham was forced into a Republican Senate primary runoff by Rep. Ralph Norman on Tuesday, raising the prospect that GOP voters will again reject a candidate endorsed by President Donald Trump.
Graham, who was appointed by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster to fill the remainder of her late brother Lindsey Graham’s term in July, is looking to also take his place on the November ballot for a full six years in the Senate. Trump encouraged her to run and then endorsed her in a primary that featured 10 GOP candidates, including Norman, Rep. Russell Fry and former Gov. Mark Sanford.
The winner of the Aug. 25 runoff will face Democrat Annie Andrews, a doctor who won her party’s primary in June.
Graham, the first woman ever to represent South Carolina in the Senate, has never held elected office before, and her thin résumé appeared to cost her with some voters in the first round of the primary, calling into question the power of Trump’s imprimatur.
“I understand that she’s lost a brother and lost someone very special to her, and I sympathize with that, but at the same time, I don’t think that it’s necessary just to give it to her,” Republican voter Bob Howell told NBC News in Lexington, South Carolina.
Asked about Trump endorsing Graham, Howell said, “I like President Trump, but I don’t think that that’s necessarily what sways my vote.”
Earlier this year, Trump’s favored candidate for governor, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, got pushed into a runoff against state Attorney General Alan Wilson. Trump then issued a rare dual endorsement of both candidates in the Republican primary runoff, which Wilson won. That was one of several races across the country this year in which Trump’s preferred candidate failed to win the Republican nomination for a high office.
The winner of this Republican runoff will be heavily favored to prevail in November in a state where a Democrat has not won a Senate seat since Fritz Hollings’ re-election in 1998.
Graham, 62, replaced her older brother in the Senate after Lindsey Graham died July 11, after emergency personnel responded to a “cardiac arrest” call at his Capitol Hill home. The elder Graham had been seeking a fifth term in November and had already won a competitive primary in June.
Trump wasted little time in throwing his weight behind the younger Graham, issuing his “complete and total endorsement” on Truth Social on July 17, less than a week after her brother’s death.
In her brief tenure in the Senate, Graham has been centrally involved in one issue: passage of a measure, earlier this month, that would impose new sanctions on Russia and Iran. Lindsey Graham had been the chief proponent of an earlier version of the legislation, which focused on applying pressure to Russia. At Trump’s request, Iran provisions were added before the Senate renamed the measure for Lindsey Graham and passed it, 86-11.
“I think I’ve accomplished a whole lot in three weeks,” Graham said after she cast her vote Tuesday, pointing to the sanctions bill and her vote to confirm Attorney General Todd Blanche. “I’m not being handed the seat. I realize that I have to earn votes, so I’m working really hard to do that.”
Graham added that she expected the race to move to a runoff.
Norman, who finished a distant third in the state’s Republican gubernatorial primary earlier this year, consistently supports Trump’s agenda in Congress. But Lindsey Graham was one of the president’s closest allies — Trump eulogized the late senator during a service at Washington National Cathedral — and that loyalty was reciprocated in the endorsement of Graham.
Now, with most of the state’s Republican voters having cast ballots for her rivals, Graham will need to consolidate support quickly in order to keep a seat that has been in her family since 2003.
Open article →GDELTSouth Carolina
Goldstein: 2.9Tone: 0.5
Primary elections are taking place in six U.S. states on Tuesday — Alabama, Connecticut, Minnesota, South Carolina, Vermont and Wisconsin.
Sen. Darline Graham advanced to a runoff in South Carolina’s special Republican primary to replace her late brother Lindsey Graham in the U.S. Senate. Backed by Trump, Darline Graham moved forward from a 10-way field that included two congressmen and a former governor, despite being a first-time candidate. The winner of the Aug. 25 runoff is expected to claim the U.S. Senate seat over the Democratic nominee.
Minnesota voters will settle a moderate-versus-progressive Democratic U.S. Senate primary between centrist U.S. Rep. Angie Craig and progressive Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan. In the race for governor, Mike Lindell, known as the MyPillow Guy, leads a crowded Republican primary with President Donald Trump’s endorsement, while Sen. Amy Klobuchar faces minimal opposition for the Democratic nomination.
And the Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor is another high-profile clash between the party’s establishment and progressive wings, as democratic socialist Francesca Hong tries to rise above establishment candidate David Crowley. In a Republican primary for U.S. House, Trump-backed candidate Michael Alfonso, the 26-year-old son-in-law of U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, is seeking to win Duffy’s former district.
Here's the latest:
No cheers when Graham’s advancement apparent — just media setting up for live shots
Election night watch parties are usually all about crowd reaction when the news of race calls ripples across a ballroom or restaurant crowd.
As news spread of the AP race call that Sen. Darline Graham would advance to a special Senate GOP primary runoff in two weeks, reporters started scrambling for television live hits.
Graham is nearby watching results with family and campaign staffers. She’s said she expected to be in a runoff and has been treating Tuesday’s primary as just the first iteration of the election balloting.
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont wins Democratic primary
Lamont defeated state Rep. Josh Elliott as the governor seeks his third term in office.
Lamont, 71, ran a largely comfortable campaign against Elliott, who is 41 and ran to the governor’s political left.
Lamont will face Republican state Sen. Ryan Fazio in the general election in November. Fazio has promised that if elected he would work to lower taxes and assist the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration.
Connecticut hasn’t had a Republican governor since Jodi Rell left office in early 2011.
Darline Graham advances to special GOP Senate primary runoff to replace late brother Lindsey Graham
Darline Graham moved forward in the 10-way contest Tuesday despite her being a political unknown, having been close to her brother’s political orbit but never a candidate herself.
South Carolina spun up a compressed timeline for the special election, with just a one-week filing period, then two weeks until the primary.
Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Darline Graham to serve out the remaining months of her late brother’s current term. She swiftly notched an endorsement from President Donald Trump, her brother’s congressional ally who encouraged her to enter the race for the nomination to serve a full term.
The winner of the Aug. 25 runoff will face Democratic nominee Annie Andrews in the general election. No Democrat has won a U.S. Senate seat in South Carolina in decades.
Polls have closed in Alabama and Connecticut
In-person Election Day voting has ended in Alabama and Connecticut. Comparable past elections can offer clues about when to expect the first vote results and how long the vote count might take.
In Alabama’s state primary on May 19, The Associated Press first reported results at 8:28 p.m. ET, or 28 minutes after polls closed. The last vote update of the night was at 12:54 a.m. ET, with more than 99.9% of total votes counted.
In the 2024 general election in Connecticut, the AP first reported results at 8:12 p.m. ET, or 12 minutes after polls closed. The vote count reached the halfway mark at 12:25 a.m. ET. By 2:06 p.m. ET the day after Election Day, about 90% of the total vote had been counted.
See live results in Alabama and Connecticut.
Graham’s primary night setup reflects focus on anticipated runoff
Nothing is official from Tuesday’s special South Carolina GOP Senate primary, but Sen. Darline Graham has been saying for several days she’s looking forward to an anticipated runoff.
That was reflected in the interim senator’s election night setup. Dozens of reporters gathered in a Columbia studio space, while Graham and supporters gathered nearby in what had been her late brother’s reelection campaign headquarters.
“I expect to be in a runoff in two weeks,” Graham told reporters earlier Tuesday after voting in Lexington. “I feel confident that I will win.”
Other candidates including U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman and former Gov. Mark Sanford were having election watch parties. U.S. Rep. Russell Fry didn’t have a formal event planned.
Darline Graham’s election night event is all press
She may be meeting with supporters elsewhere, but the election night event where members of the media were allowed is a small room set up only with a podium, simple backdrop and lots of television cameras.
The space, in the same Columbia strip mall that had housed the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s campaign office, is a studio of sorts with photos of various South Carolina notables and politicos on the wall.
One of those is Jaime Harrison, the former Democratic National Committee chairman whose 2020 challenge to Lindsey Graham prompted a record-breaking fundraising race.
Polls have closed in South Carolina and Vermont
In-person Election Day voting has ended in South Carolina and Vermont. Comparable past elections can offer clues about when to expect the first vote results and how long the vote count might take.
In South Carolina’s June 9 primary election, The Associated Press first reported results at 7:22 p.m. ET, or 22 minutes after polls closed. The last vote update of the night was at 12:19 a.m. ET, with more than 99% of total votes counted.
In Vermont’s 2024 state primary, the AP first reported results at 7:18 p.m. ET, or 18 minutes after polls closed. The last vote update of the night was at 11:45 p.m. ET with about 87% of total votes counted.
See live results in South Carolina and Vermont.
Sanford’s no-frills victory party is no surprise
Three of his plywood signs with “Sanford 4 Senate” spray-painted on them in black joined a handful of regular campaign signs at the Kickin’ Chicken in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.
Mark Sanford didn’t rent out the venue. His party was crammed into a back corner. There was no open bar or hors d’oeuvres. Many customers eating nearby had no idea what was going on.
Sanford is famously frugal. He wore suits until they got holes and slept on a futon in his U.S. House office in Washington.
Sanford voters keep casting ballots for him decades later
Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford lived near Charleston for a long time, and voters in the area still have the habit of casting their votes for him.
Randall Stoney voted for him the first time he ran for U.S. House in the early 1990s. Sanford has been on about a dozen ballots since, and Stoney cast another vote for him for U.S. Senate on Tuesday.
“I’ve known him for a good many years. I think he’s done a great job as a public servant,” Stoney said. “He’s fiscally responsible, and he’s not a Trump sycophant.”
Ben LeClerq said Sanford is a “beenya” — someone who has lived in Charleston all his life — not a “comeya” like so many politicians he now sees in South Carolina. LeClerq said that means Sanford is willing to stand up to Republicans when they aren’t acting conservative.
“He’s not a yes-man,” LeClerq said.
Only 4 of Alabama’s 7 congressional districts have primaries today
Primaries for all seven congressional districts were originally scheduled for May 19, but Republican
Open article →GDELTSouth Carolina
Goldstein: -0.5Tone: -1.6
GREENVILLE, S.C.—The special Republican primary election to replace the late Lindsey Graham as South Carolina’s Senate nominee has narrowed.
The winner of the Republican contest faces the Democratic nominee, Dr. Annie Andrews, in November.
The current senator, a newcomer to electoral politics, replaced her brother in the upper chamber with the support of President Donald Trump, who has also endorsed her campaign for the nomination.
Fry entered the race after Trump suggested during a Newsmax interview that the congressman entering that race “could happen.” He said Fry was “a very, very talented person.”
Norman, who endorsed former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley against Trump in 2024, has been backed by figures aligned with the conservative Freedom Caucus.
In addition to Darline Graham, Norman, and Fry, the hopefuls included former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, businessman Mark Lynch, farmer Danny Lee Ford, retiree Glenda Gail Parker, engineer and scientist Samuel Shepherd, lawyer Duke Buckner, and former Myrtle Beach Mayor Mark McBride.
Polling ahead of the race did not show a clear frontrunner, though Darline Graham, Norman, and Fry have generally traded the top three spots.
The race quickly attracted big money and attention.
Backers of Fry and Darline Graham dominated ad spending in the race, with $1.5 million and $1.4 million in support, respectively, according to an Aug. 7 analysis from AdImpact. Sanford followed with $866,000, while Lynch and Norman fell third and fourth, garnering $233,000 and $231,000 in that spending, respectively.
Darline Graham also received support from the National Republican Senatorial Committee, a key hub for GOP fundraising.
Recent campaign finance reports show that her campaign quickly raised hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The Sanford and Lynch campaigns led Fry and Norman when it came to cash on hand. While the former governor and businessman had roughly $1.3 million and $547,000 as of late July, at that same period, the two members of Congress had about $485,000 and $171,000, respectively.
Final Hours, Final Pitches
From Greenville to Rock Hill, polling places across northern South Carolina appeared sleepy much of Aug. 11.
South Carolinians there and elsewhere in the state were reluctant to stop and talk about the race.
One reason may have been the high humidity and blazing heat. A digital sign outside the First Baptist North Spartanburg read more than 96 degrees Fahrenheit.
Outside that Spartanburg polling place, Chuck Robbins told The Epoch Times his top issues were border security and “economics overall,” including affordability.
While many candidates have pledged to tackle those concerns, Sanford was the man who earned his vote.
“I just don’t think she has the experience that we need,” he said of Darline Graham, adding that he liked the job her late brother had done in Washington.
South Carolinians had a chance to compare Sanford and other leading hopefuls during an early August debate. In the days ahead of Election Day, multiple candidates made their pitches to voters in interviews with The Epoch Times.
Norman told The Epoch Times and others on Aug. 10 that he would work with Sens. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) to force a talking filibuster to advance the SAVE America Act, election integrity legislation that would boost citizenship verification requirements for voter registration and require photo ID to vote.
The real estate developer and fiscal conservative, known for forcing intra-Republican debates on the cost of party-line bills, warned of the scope of the national debt, describing it as “the cancer that’s killing us.”
Norman also drew attention to the threat from the Chinese Communist Party, noting that he had worked to close Chinese-affiliated Confucius Institutes in the United States.
“How long are we going to be stooges?” he asked.
In Greenville, the home to his family’s longstanding appliance store and showroom, Lynch stressed his business background.
“I have a servant’s heart. We’ve served customers every day, and we’ve got a great reputation here,” Lynch told The Epoch Times.
He’s concerned about the spread of Islam in South Carolina, voicing opposition to the small, all-Muslim community of Holy Islamville, located in York County.
That view and others, including his concern with the impact of illegal aliens on the economy, are part of why he wants the United States to end the Iran War.
“We’ve got problems here at home,” he said.
Shepherd, in an email interview with The Epoch Times, also emphasized his private sector experience—in his case, as a biomedical engineer.
“I bring the same engineering mindset to the Senate: Identify the root problem, cut waste, measure outcomes, and fix what is broken,” he said.
Like Norman, he warned of the scale of the U.S. debt, vowing to oppose any bill that raises the deficit.
He also said he would seek to safeguard Medicare and Social Security, two large programs that are widely used by Americans but also help to drive the growth of the national debt.
Open article →GDELTSouth Carolina
Goldstein: 3.4Tone: 1.0
Senator Darline Graham, appointed to complete the Senate term of her late brother, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina has advanced to a runoff election for the Republican nomination of the seat. It remains unclear who she will face on 25 August.
Graham held a narrow lead in the polls going into the abbreviated special primary on Tuesday, which predicted a close contest for second place. Congressman Russell Fry, Congressman Ralph Norman and former governor Mark Sanford polled within a point of each other in the most recent survey from the Trafalgar Group. Graham has loudly trumpeted her endorsement from Donald Trump, but also enjoys the support of South Carolina’s governor, Henry McMaster, and John Thune, the Senate majority leader.
“I ran a state agency. I turned it from a struggling agency into a national model. I think that’s great experience to bring to the table,” Graham said, addressing reporters after casting her ballot on Tuesday. She highlighted the passage of a sanctions bill targeting Russia during her short tenure in Washington. “I was the deciding vote on Todd Blanche as attorney general. So I think I’ve accomplished a whole lot in three weeks.”
Sanford, who served as governor between two stints in Congress, has campaigned on fiscal stewardship, noting the dramatic increase in the federal debt.
“I got into this race because I believe our nation is at a financial tipping point.” Sanford wrote on social media on Tuesday. “I held the line on spending as Governor unlike any Governor before or since and ask for your vote today so that I might fight for our grandkids’ ability to afford the American Dream.”
Norman’s congressional district in the suburbs of Charlotte is vote-rich for Republicans, contributing disproportionately to statewide primary results. Norman, who has served in Congress since 2017, also had broad support from state legislators and a statewide campaign apparatus that had largely remained intact after his failed primary bid for the governor’s office in June.
His campaign has highlighted Norman’s support for the Save America Act, a Trump-backed bill to impose federal requirements on states to mandate proof of citizenship at voter registration and to submit state voter rolls to federal oversight. He also has promoted a bill to strip housing funding from cities that do not cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Candidates quickly turned on each other in debate, social media and political advertising during the abbreviated campaign. Fry’s political attack advertising amplified a comment Graham made in a debate that was favorable to datacenter development, and has likened her appointment to an act of “DEI” – the practice of diversity, equity and inclusion that has become anathema to the right.
Fry has come under fire from Graham and others for running simultaneously for the US Senate and to retain his congressional seat.
Fry had the support of two of his fellow South Carolina congresspeople, Joe Wilson and Sheri Biggs. Wilson’s support stands out; the ascendancy of Wilson’s son, South Carolina’s attorney general, Alan Wilson, as the state’s Republican nominee for governor this year, speaks to statewide influence.
Statewide special elections in South Carolina are rare events. The resignation of Senator Jim DeMint, a Republican who left office in 2013 to lead the Heritage Foundation, triggered the most recent example. Governor Nikki Haley named then congressman Tim Scott as DeMint’s successor. Scott won both the nomination and special election to complete the term handily, becoming only the second Black Republican senator since Reconstruction and the first Black senator in the southern United States elected directly by voters. He is now the longest-serving African American US senator in American history.
The winner will face Annie Andrews, the Democratic nominee and a pediatrician, in November.
Open article →GDELTAlabama
Goldstein: 0.1Tone: 0.5
Primary elections are taking place in six U.S. states on Tuesday — Alabama, Connecticut, Minnesota, South Carolina, Vermont and Wisconsin.
Sen. Darline Graham advanced to a runoff in South Carolina’s special Republican primary to replace her late brother Lindsey Graham in the U.S. Senate. Backed by Trump, Darline Graham moved forward from a 10-way field that included two congressmen and a former governor, despite being a first-time candidate. The winner of the Aug. 25 runoff is expected to claim the U.S. Senate seat over the Democratic nominee.
Minnesota voters will settle a moderate-versus-progressive Democratic U.S. Senate primary between centrist U.S. Rep. Angie Craig and progressive Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan. In the race for governor, Mike Lindell, known as the MyPillow Guy, leads a crowded Republican primary with President Donald Trump’s endorsement, while Sen. Amy Klobuchar faces minimal opposition for the Democratic nomination.
And the Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor is another high-profile clash between the party’s establishment and progressive wings, as democratic socialist Francesca Hong tries to rise above establishment candidate David Crowley. In a Republican primary for U.S. House, Trump-backed candidate Michael Alfonso, the 26-year-old son-in-law of U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, is seeking to win Duffy’s former district.
Here's the latest:
No cheers when Graham’s advancement apparent — just media setting up for live shots
Election night watch parties are usually all about crowd reaction when the news of race calls ripples across a ballroom or restaurant crowd.
As news spread of the AP race call that Sen. Darline Graham would advance to a special Senate GOP primary runoff in two weeks, reporters started scrambling for television live hits.
Graham is nearby watching results with family and campaign staffers. She’s said she expected to be in a runoff and has been treating Tuesday’s primary as just the first iteration of the election balloting.
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont wins Democratic primary
Lamont defeated state Rep. Josh Elliott as the governor seeks his third term in office.
Lamont, 71, ran a largely comfortable campaign against Elliott, who is 41 and ran to the governor’s political left.
Lamont will face Republican state Sen. Ryan Fazio in the general election in November. Fazio has promised that if elected he would work to lower taxes and assist the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration.
Connecticut hasn’t had a Republican governor since Jodi Rell left office in early 2011.
Darline Graham advances to special GOP Senate primary runoff to replace late brother Lindsey Graham
Darline Graham moved forward in the 10-way contest Tuesday despite her being a political unknown, having been close to her brother’s political orbit but never a candidate herself.
South Carolina spun up a compressed timeline for the special election, with just a one-week filing period, then two weeks until the primary.
Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Darline Graham to serve out the remaining months of her late brother’s current term. She swiftly notched an endorsement from President Donald Trump, her brother’s congressional ally who encouraged her to enter the race for the nomination to serve a full term.
The winner of the Aug. 25 runoff will face Democratic nominee Annie Andrews in the general election. No Democrat has won a U.S. Senate seat in South Carolina in decades.
Polls have closed in Alabama and Connecticut
In-person Election Day voting has ended in Alabama and Connecticut. Comparable past elections can offer clues about when to expect the first vote results and how long the vote count might take.
In Alabama’s state primary on May 19, The Associated Press first reported results at 8:28 p.m. ET, or 28 minutes after polls closed. The last vote update of the night was at 12:54 a.m. ET, with more than 99.9% of total votes counted.
In the 2024 general election in Connecticut, the AP first reported results at 8:12 p.m. ET, or 12 minutes after polls closed. The vote count reached the halfway mark at 12:25 a.m. ET. By 2:06 p.m. ET the day after Election Day, about 90% of the total vote had been counted.
See live results in Alabama and Connecticut.
Graham’s primary night setup reflects focus on anticipated runoff
Nothing is official from Tuesday’s special South Carolina GOP Senate primary, but Sen. Darline Graham has been saying for several days she’s looking forward to an anticipated runoff.
That was reflected in the interim senator’s election night setup. Dozens of reporters gathered in a Columbia studio space, while Graham and supporters gathered nearby in what had been her late brother’s reelection campaign headquarters.
“I expect to be in a runoff in two weeks,” Graham told reporters earlier Tuesday after voting in Lexington. “I feel confident that I will win.”
Other candidates including U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman and former Gov. Mark Sanford were having election watch parties. U.S. Rep. Russell Fry didn’t have a formal event planned.
Darline Graham’s election night event is all press
She may be meeting with supporters elsewhere, but the election night event where members of the media were allowed is a small room set up only with a podium, simple backdrop and lots of television cameras.
The space, in the same Columbia strip mall that had housed the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s campaign office, is a studio of sorts with photos of various South Carolina notables and politicos on the wall.
One of those is Jaime Harrison, the former Democratic National Committee chairman whose 2020 challenge to Lindsey Graham prompted a record-breaking fundraising race.
Polls have closed in South Carolina and Vermont
In-person Election Day voting has ended in South Carolina and Vermont. Comparable past elections can offer clues about when to expect the first vote results and how long the vote count might take.
In South Carolina’s June 9 primary election, The Associated Press first reported results at 7:22 p.m. ET, or 22 minutes after polls closed. The last vote update of the night was at 12:19 a.m. ET, with more than 99% of total votes counted.
In Vermont’s 2024 state primary, the AP first reported results at 7:18 p.m. ET, or 18 minutes after polls closed. The last vote update of the night was at 11:45 p.m. ET with about 87% of total votes counted.
See live results in South Carolina and Vermont.
Sanford’s no-frills victory party is no surprise
Three of his plywood signs with “Sanford 4 Senate” spray-painted on them in black joined a handful of regular campaign signs at the Kickin’ Chicken in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.
Mark Sanford didn’t rent out the venue. His party was crammed into a back corner. There was no open bar or hors d’oeuvres. Many customers eating nearby had no idea what was going on.
Sanford is famously frugal. He wore suits until they got holes and slept on a futon in his U.S. House office in Washington.
Sanford voters keep casting ballots for him decades later
Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford lived near Charleston for a long time, and voters in the area still have the habit of casting their votes for him.
Randall Stoney voted for him the first time he ran for U.S. House in the early 1990s. Sanford has been on about a dozen ballots since, and Stoney cast another vote for him for U.S. Senate on Tuesday.
“I’ve known him for a good many years. I think he’s done a great job as a public servant,” Stoney said. “He’s fiscally responsible, and he’s not a Trump sycophant.”
Ben LeClerq said Sanford is a “beenya” — someone who has lived in Charleston all his life — not a “comeya” like so many politicians he now sees in South Carolina. LeClerq said that means Sanford is willing to stand up to Republicans when they aren’t acting conservative.
“He’s not a yes-man,” LeClerq said.
Only 4 of Alabama’s 7 congressional districts have primaries today
Primaries for all seven congressional districts were originally scheduled for May 19, but Republican
Open article →GDELTWisconsin
Goldstein: 2.0Tone: 0.5
Primary elections are taking place in six U.S. states on Tuesday — Alabama, Connecticut, Minnesota, South Carolina, Vermont and Wisconsin.
Sen. Darline Graham advanced to a runoff in South Carolina’s special Republican primary to replace her late brother Lindsey Graham in the U.S. Senate. Backed by Trump, Darline Graham moved forward from a 10-way field that included two congressmen and a former governor, despite being a first-time candidate. The winner of the Aug. 25 runoff is expected to claim the U.S. Senate seat over the Democratic nominee.
Minnesota voters will settle a moderate-versus-progressive Democratic U.S. Senate primary between centrist U.S. Rep. Angie Craig and progressive Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan. In the race for governor, Mike Lindell, known as the MyPillow Guy, leads a crowded Republican primary with President Donald Trump’s endorsement, while Sen. Amy Klobuchar faces minimal opposition for the Democratic nomination.
And the Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor is another high-profile clash between the party’s establishment and progressive wings, as democratic socialist Francesca Hong tries to rise above establishment candidate David Crowley. In a Republican primary for U.S. House, Trump-backed candidate Michael Alfonso, the 26-year-old son-in-law of U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, is seeking to win Duffy’s former district.
Here's the latest:
No cheers when Graham’s advancement apparent — just media setting up for live shots
Election night watch parties are usually all about crowd reaction when the news of race calls ripples across a ballroom or restaurant crowd.
As news spread of the AP race call that Sen. Darline Graham would advance to a special Senate GOP primary runoff in two weeks, reporters started scrambling for television live hits.
Graham is nearby watching results with family and campaign staffers. She’s said she expected to be in a runoff and has been treating Tuesday’s primary as just the first iteration of the election balloting.
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont wins Democratic primary
Lamont defeated state Rep. Josh Elliott as the governor seeks his third term in office.
Lamont, 71, ran a largely comfortable campaign against Elliott, who is 41 and ran to the governor’s political left.
Lamont will face Republican state Sen. Ryan Fazio in the general election in November. Fazio has promised that if elected he would work to lower taxes and assist the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration.
Connecticut hasn’t had a Republican governor since Jodi Rell left office in early 2011.
Darline Graham advances to special GOP Senate primary runoff to replace late brother Lindsey Graham
Darline Graham moved forward in the 10-way contest Tuesday despite her being a political unknown, having been close to her brother’s political orbit but never a candidate herself.
South Carolina spun up a compressed timeline for the special election, with just a one-week filing period, then two weeks until the primary.
Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Darline Graham to serve out the remaining months of her late brother’s current term. She swiftly notched an endorsement from President Donald Trump, her brother’s congressional ally who encouraged her to enter the race for the nomination to serve a full term.
The winner of the Aug. 25 runoff will face Democratic nominee Annie Andrews in the general election. No Democrat has won a U.S. Senate seat in South Carolina in decades.
Polls have closed in Alabama and Connecticut
In-person Election Day voting has ended in Alabama and Connecticut. Comparable past elections can offer clues about when to expect the first vote results and how long the vote count might take.
In Alabama’s state primary on May 19, The Associated Press first reported results at 8:28 p.m. ET, or 28 minutes after polls closed. The last vote update of the night was at 12:54 a.m. ET, with more than 99.9% of total votes counted.
In the 2024 general election in Connecticut, the AP first reported results at 8:12 p.m. ET, or 12 minutes after polls closed. The vote count reached the halfway mark at 12:25 a.m. ET. By 2:06 p.m. ET the day after Election Day, about 90% of the total vote had been counted.
See live results in Alabama and Connecticut.
Graham’s primary night setup reflects focus on anticipated runoff
Nothing is official from Tuesday’s special South Carolina GOP Senate primary, but Sen. Darline Graham has been saying for several days she’s looking forward to an anticipated runoff.
That was reflected in the interim senator’s election night setup. Dozens of reporters gathered in a Columbia studio space, while Graham and supporters gathered nearby in what had been her late brother’s reelection campaign headquarters.
“I expect to be in a runoff in two weeks,” Graham told reporters earlier Tuesday after voting in Lexington. “I feel confident that I will win.”
Other candidates including U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman and former Gov. Mark Sanford were having election watch parties. U.S. Rep. Russell Fry didn’t have a formal event planned.
Darline Graham’s election night event is all press
She may be meeting with supporters elsewhere, but the election night event where members of the media were allowed is a small room set up only with a podium, simple backdrop and lots of television cameras.
The space, in the same Columbia strip mall that had housed the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s campaign office, is a studio of sorts with photos of various South Carolina notables and politicos on the wall.
One of those is Jaime Harrison, the former Democratic National Committee chairman whose 2020 challenge to Lindsey Graham prompted a record-breaking fundraising race.
Polls have closed in South Carolina and Vermont
In-person Election Day voting has ended in South Carolina and Vermont. Comparable past elections can offer clues about when to expect the first vote results and how long the vote count might take.
In South Carolina’s June 9 primary election, The Associated Press first reported results at 7:22 p.m. ET, or 22 minutes after polls closed. The last vote update of the night was at 12:19 a.m. ET, with more than 99% of total votes counted.
In Vermont’s 2024 state primary, the AP first reported results at 7:18 p.m. ET, or 18 minutes after polls closed. The last vote update of the night was at 11:45 p.m. ET with about 87% of total votes counted.
See live results in South Carolina and Vermont.
Sanford’s no-frills victory party is no surprise
Three of his plywood signs with “Sanford 4 Senate” spray-painted on them in black joined a handful of regular campaign signs at the Kickin’ Chicken in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.
Mark Sanford didn’t rent out the venue. His party was crammed into a back corner. There was no open bar or hors d’oeuvres. Many customers eating nearby had no idea what was going on.
Sanford is famously frugal. He wore suits until they got holes and slept on a futon in his U.S. House office in Washington.
Sanford voters keep casting ballots for him decades later
Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford lived near Charleston for a long time, and voters in the area still have the habit of casting their votes for him.
Randall Stoney voted for him the first time he ran for U.S. House in the early 1990s. Sanford has been on about a dozen ballots since, and Stoney cast another vote for him for U.S. Senate on Tuesday.
“I’ve known him for a good many years. I think he’s done a great job as a public servant,” Stoney said. “He’s fiscally responsible, and he’s not a Trump sycophant.”
Ben LeClerq said Sanford is a “beenya” — someone who has lived in Charleston all his life — not a “comeya” like so many politicians he now sees in South Carolina. LeClerq said that means Sanford is willing to stand up to Republicans when they aren’t acting conservative.
“He’s not a yes-man,” LeClerq said.
Only 4 of Alabama’s 7 congressional districts have primaries today
Primaries for all seven congressional districts were originally scheduled for May 19, but Republican
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Goldstein: 3.4Tone: 3.3
Darline Graham moved forward in the 10-way contest Tuesday despite her being a political unknown, having been close to her brother’s political orbit but never a candidate herself.
South Carolina spun up a compressed timeline for the special election, with just a one-week filing period, then two weeks until the primary.
Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Darline Graham to serve out the remaining months of her late brother’s current term. She swiftly notched an endorsement from President Donald Trump, her brother’s congressional ally who encouraged her to enter the race for the nomination to serve a full term.
The winner of the Aug. 25 runoff will face Democratic nominee Annie Andrews in the general election. No Democrat has won a U.S. Senate seat in South Carolina in decades.
RELATED STORY | Darline Graham to run for late brother Lindsey Graham's South Carolina Senate seat
“I expect to be in a runoff in two weeks,” Graham told reporters earlier Tuesday after voting in Lexington. “I feel confident that I will win.”
Other candidates including U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman and former Gov. Mark Sanford were having election watch parties. U.S. Rep. Russell Fry didn’t have a formal event planned.
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Goldstein: 8.0Tone: 0.5
Primary elections are taking place in six U.S. states on Tuesday — Alabama, Connecticut, Minnesota, South Carolina, Vermont and Wisconsin.
Sen. Darline Graham advanced to a runoff in South Carolina’s special Republican primary to replace her late brother Lindsey Graham in the U.S. Senate. Backed by Trump, Darline Graham moved forward from a 10-way field that included two congressmen and a former governor, despite being a first-time candidate. The winner of the Aug. 25 runoff is expected to claim the U.S. Senate seat over the Democratic nominee.
Minnesota voters will settle a moderate-versus-progressive Democratic U.S. Senate primary between centrist U.S. Rep. Angie Craig and progressive Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan. In the race for governor, Mike Lindell, known as the MyPillow Guy, leads a crowded Republican primary with President Donald Trump’s endorsement, while Sen. Amy Klobuchar faces minimal opposition for the Democratic nomination.
And the Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor is another high-profile clash between the party’s establishment and progressive wings, as democratic socialist Francesca Hong tries to rise above establishment candidate David Crowley. In a Republican primary for U.S. House, Trump-backed candidate Michael Alfonso, the 26-year-old son-in-law of U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, is seeking to win Duffy’s former district.
Here's the latest:
No cheers when Graham’s advancement apparent — just media setting up for live shots
Election night watch parties are usually all about crowd reaction when the news of race calls ripples across a ballroom or restaurant crowd.
As news spread of the AP race call that Sen. Darline Graham would advance to a special Senate GOP primary runoff in two weeks, reporters started scrambling for television live hits.
Graham is nearby watching results with family and campaign staffers. She’s said she expected to be in a runoff and has been treating Tuesday’s primary as just the first iteration of the election balloting.
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont wins Democratic primary
Lamont defeated state Rep. Josh Elliott as the governor seeks his third term in office.
Lamont, 71, ran a largely comfortable campaign against Elliott, who is 41 and ran to the governor’s political left.
Lamont will face Republican state Sen. Ryan Fazio in the general election in November. Fazio has promised that if elected he would work to lower taxes and assist the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration.
Connecticut hasn’t had a Republican governor since Jodi Rell left office in early 2011.
Darline Graham advances to special GOP Senate primary runoff to replace late brother Lindsey Graham
Darline Graham moved forward in the 10-way contest Tuesday despite her being a political unknown, having been close to her brother’s political orbit but never a candidate herself.
South Carolina spun up a compressed timeline for the special election, with just a one-week filing period, then two weeks until the primary.
Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Darline Graham to serve out the remaining months of her late brother’s current term. She swiftly notched an endorsement from President Donald Trump, her brother’s congressional ally who encouraged her to enter the race for the nomination to serve a full term.
The winner of the Aug. 25 runoff will face Democratic nominee Annie Andrews in the general election. No Democrat has won a U.S. Senate seat in South Carolina in decades.
Polls have closed in Alabama and Connecticut
In-person Election Day voting has ended in Alabama and Connecticut. Comparable past elections can offer clues about when to expect the first vote results and how long the vote count might take.
In Alabama’s state primary on May 19, The Associated Press first reported results at 8:28 p.m. ET, or 28 minutes after polls closed. The last vote update of the night was at 12:54 a.m. ET, with more than 99.9% of total votes counted.
In the 2024 general election in Connecticut, the AP first reported results at 8:12 p.m. ET, or 12 minutes after polls closed. The vote count reached the halfway mark at 12:25 a.m. ET. By 2:06 p.m. ET the day after Election Day, about 90% of the total vote had been counted.
See live results in Alabama and Connecticut.
Graham’s primary night setup reflects focus on anticipated runoff
Nothing is official from Tuesday’s special South Carolina GOP Senate primary, but Sen. Darline Graham has been saying for several days she’s looking forward to an anticipated runoff.
That was reflected in the interim senator’s election night setup. Dozens of reporters gathered in a Columbia studio space, while Graham and supporters gathered nearby in what had been her late brother’s reelection campaign headquarters.
“I expect to be in a runoff in two weeks,” Graham told reporters earlier Tuesday after voting in Lexington. “I feel confident that I will win.”
Other candidates including U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman and former Gov. Mark Sanford were having election watch parties. U.S. Rep. Russell Fry didn’t have a formal event planned.
Darline Graham’s election night event is all press
She may be meeting with supporters elsewhere, but the election night event where members of the media were allowed is a small room set up only with a podium, simple backdrop and lots of television cameras.
The space, in the same Columbia strip mall that had housed the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s campaign office, is a studio of sorts with photos of various South Carolina notables and politicos on the wall.
One of those is Jaime Harrison, the former Democratic National Committee chairman whose 2020 challenge to Lindsey Graham prompted a record-breaking fundraising race.
Polls have closed in South Carolina and Vermont
In-person Election Day voting has ended in South Carolina and Vermont. Comparable past elections can offer clues about when to expect the first vote results and how long the vote count might take.
In South Carolina’s June 9 primary election, The Associated Press first reported results at 7:22 p.m. ET, or 22 minutes after polls closed. The last vote update of the night was at 12:19 a.m. ET, with more than 99% of total votes counted.
In Vermont’s 2024 state primary, the AP first reported results at 7:18 p.m. ET, or 18 minutes after polls closed. The last vote update of the night was at 11:45 p.m. ET with about 87% of total votes counted.
See live results in South Carolina and Vermont.
Sanford’s no-frills victory party is no surprise
Three of his plywood signs with “Sanford 4 Senate” spray-painted on them in black joined a handful of regular campaign signs at the Kickin’ Chicken in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.
Mark Sanford didn’t rent out the venue. His party was crammed into a back corner. There was no open bar or hors d’oeuvres. Many customers eating nearby had no idea what was going on.
Sanford is famously frugal. He wore suits until they got holes and slept on a futon in his U.S. House office in Washington.
Sanford voters keep casting ballots for him decades later
Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford lived near Charleston for a long time, and voters in the area still have the habit of casting their votes for him.
Randall Stoney voted for him the first time he ran for U.S. House in the early 1990s. Sanford has been on about a dozen ballots since, and Stoney cast another vote for him for U.S. Senate on Tuesday.
“I’ve known him for a good many years. I think he’s done a great job as a public servant,” Stoney said. “He’s fiscally responsible, and he’s not a Trump sycophant.”
Ben LeClerq said Sanford is a “beenya” — someone who has lived in Charleston all his life — not a “comeya” like so many politicians he now sees in South Carolina. LeClerq said that means Sanford is willing to stand up to Republicans when they aren’t acting conservative.
“He’s not a yes-man,” LeClerq said.
Only 4 of Alabama’s 7 congressional districts have primaries today
Primaries for all seven congressional districts were originally scheduled for May 19, but Republican
Open article →NPRSouth Carolina
Goldstein: —Tone: —
Sen. Darline Graham, who is serving out the remainder of her brother's term, and Rep. Ralph Norman advance to the special primary runoff later this month.
Open article →GDELTSouth Carolina
Goldstein: 3.4Tone: 1.7
South Carolina military base ceremonially renamed in honor of Sen. Lindsey Graham
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC/FOX Carolina) - A prominent South Carolina military base is set to be renamed in honor of Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Governor Henry McMaster, South Carolina native and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Sen. Darline Graham attended a renaming ceremony at Joint Base Charleston, which is to be named Joint Base Lindsey Graham.
The law officially renaming the base has not yet passed.
WELCOME TO JOINT BASE LINDSEY GRAHAM! pic.twitter.com/fUR1rRbzcb
— DOW Rapid Response (@DOWResponse) August 10, 2026
Graham died suddenly on July 11 from a tear in his aorta, according to preliminary medical examination findings.
Before his death, Graham had spent much of his life serving in one way or another. His Senate biography states that he served in various capacities in the U.S. Air Force starting in 1984, not officially retiring from the Air Force Reserves until June 2015. At that time, he had achieved the rank of Colonel.
Stay with FOX Carolina as we work to learn more.
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Goldstein: 3.6Tone: -0.6
FLORENCE, S.C. (AP) — Few people have anything bad to say about Darline Graham, who was catapulted from obscurity last month when she was appointed to replace her late brother Lindsey Graham in the U.S. Senate.
“I think Darline’s wonderful,” said Kathy Bustos of Mount Pleasant, after attending a Republican forum last week.
But that doesn't mean Bustos wants to vote for her in the state's special primary on Tuesday.
“I think it’s a very nice gesture for her to have the rest of his term to complete, but I’m not sure that she’s really qualified or ready to be elected to the Senate,” she said.
It's a common sentiment among Republican voters pondering an unexpected decision about replacing Lindsey Graham, who was nominated for a fifth term before he died from a tear in his aorta. Darline Graham was often by his side throughout his career, but she remains largely unknown in South Carolina's clubby political circles.
President Donald Trump has endorsed her, and she's backed by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which is running television advertising to support her candidacy.
However, Graham has been largely absent from the campaign trail, spending most of her time in Washington as an interim senator. Her appointment to the role, instead of giving her a leg up over the competition, may ultimately hold her back by preventing her from getting to know voters during a weeks-long sprint to Tuesday.
A crowded field of contenders
She is up against several well-known Republicans, including Representatives Russell Fry and Ralph Norman, as well as former Gov. Mark Sanford. The crowded field makes a runoff more likely, and it would be held on Aug. 25.
All of them spoke at a Friday meeting of the Fourth District Republican Club in Greenville, but Graham sent a video message, saying she was “in Washington working hard for you." She promised to be "a great friend and ally” to Trump and that she wanted to “earn your vote.”
And at a candidate event in Florence on Saturday, where Graham spoke, some of her supporters said they backed the interim senator’s decision to stay in Washington, even if it meant not campaigning.
“She committed to not missing votes or not being there to push forward with those bills,” said Teresa Castrinos, who made the hours-long drive from Bluffton to see Graham. “I feel like she’s putting South Carolina first. She’s wanting to fulfill her time as a senator right now, so I really admire her for that.”
A low profile in Washington — and on the trail
While Lindsey Graham was single and well-known around the world, his sister lived a relatively quiet life with her husband and daughters in Lexington, South Carolina. She spent years in state government, working with people with disabilities and as an agency head of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind.
Before participating in a candidate forum Saturday in Florence, her only public campaign event had been a candidate forum in Lexington. Charles Brentnell of Greenville County, who was still considering his options, said he liked her decision to stay in Washington when the Senate was in session.
“Let’s keep the Senate at the Senate instead of taking a month off for no good reason,” he said.
Appearing alongside other contenders Saturday, Graham apologized for reading from notes from a lectern, pointing to the Senate votes that kept her in Washington until just hours before she headed to meet voters in South Carolina.
“Yes, I have some notes. You know why? Because I haven’t slept in two days, so I’m going to keep my thoughts straight,” Graham said, adding that she opposed Senate recess but lost out to others who wanted to end votes and go home. "I wanted to stay there, and I wanted to get things done."
Graham also participated in one of two televised debates, where she backed Trump's plan to change filibuster rules to make it easier to pass strict proof-of-citizenship voting legislation.
While other candidates came to speak to the media gathered afterward, Graham skipped the session and merely gave a thumbs-up outside when asked how she felt the debate had gone.
In contrast to her loquacious late brother, Graham has not spoken with reporters in Capitol Hill hallways or fielded questions on the stump.
She's spoken at length to Fox News personalities Sean Hannity and Trey Gowdy, both of whom eulogized Lindsey Graham at memorial services last month, and granted two interviews to local news outlets.
On Saturday, in her first gaggle with reporters, Graham addressed some of voters' concerns, reiterating her commitment to do Senate work when the chamber is in session.
“I feel like my job is to be in D.C. working for everyone right now. I hate that I can't be here. I want to be here," she said. "That's why I left and didn't sleep at all last night, so I could attend today's event.”
As to the skepticism in sending Graham to Washington for six years, Graham cited her state government experience, plus the past several weeks she's had serving as interim.
“Trust me, I have learned a lot already, so I think I have experience,” she said.
A second debate took place while Graham was in Washington on Tuesday, a date her campaign pointed out had been scheduled despite the senator’s conflict.
Gigi Bray of Charleston said the idea of Darline Graham serving in the interim makes sense, but electing her to a full term does not.
“I think it’s a great honor for her to hold her brother’s spot till November, but it’s time for a change,” said Bray, who backs Sanford. “I don’t think she has a lot of government experience, and I think right now, with the state of our country, I think it’s very important that somebody has experience.”
Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP
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