South Carolina Republicans head to runoff in special Senate primary to replace Lindsey Graham

Graham's candidacy has been defined in part by her limited foreign policy résumé. During a recent debate, she struggled when pressed on national security questions, admitting, "national security is not my thing" and "I'm not that informed on national security." When asked directly about Taiwan, she declined to give a substantive answer and instead pointed to her brother's long Senate career and her desire to prioritize domestic issues such as affordability.

Debate clash over Taiwan

Her opponent, Ralph Norman, used the exchange to draw a contrast. Norman called Taiwan "a definite ally," praising Trump for "enabling Taiwan to defend themselves against China." After the debate, he argued that Graham's response illustrated a lack of qualifications for the office, sharpening a line of attack his campaign has pushed since the primary.

The seat opened when Lindsey Graham vacated it ahead of the November general election, setting off a compressed campaign calendar. The winner of Tuesday's runoff will face the Democratic nominee in the special election, which coincides with the regularly scheduled midterm contests across the state.

Trump's involvement has been unusually direct for a special primary. In addition to the early endorsement, he held a runoff-eve tele-rally with Graham and made appearances in South Carolina in the final stretch. The president's standing with the GOP base in the state remains strong, and his endorsement gave Graham instant visibility in a race she entered as a lesser-known candidate.

Trump's heavyweight endorsement

Norman, a veteran of South Carolina politics, has framed the contest as a question of experience and readiness. His campaign has highlighted his record in the U.S. House and his positions on national security, pointing to his answers on Taiwan and other foreign policy questions as evidence that he is better prepared for the Senate seat. Supporters say his longer resume in elected office distinguishes him from Graham, whose campaign experience has been comparatively limited.

Graham, for her part, has leaned into her family ties and her alignment with Trump, arguing that her brother's relationships and her own commitment to the president's agenda make her the best standard-bearer for the Republican ticket. Her campaign materials have emphasized affordability and other domestic priorities, areas she has said she wants to focus on rather than foreign policy.

The runoff comes against a national political backdrop in which Republican primary voters have shown a willingness to reward candidates closely tied to Trump and to punish those seen as out of step with his movement. South Carolina's Republican electorate has remained reliably conservative, and turnout in special primaries is often driven by the most engaged partisans.

What is at stake on Tuesday

Both campaigns have spent the final days of the race courting those voters. Graham's team has pointed to the tele-rally and the president's in-state appearances as evidence of momentum, while Norman's allies have distributed footage of the debate exchange to underscore their critique of her qualifications.

Polls in the race have been limited, and the compressed schedule has left little time for traditional voter outreach. The runoff will test whether Trump's endorsement can overcome Graham's gaps on foreign policy or whether Norman's argument about experience carries the day.

Regardless of the outcome, the winner will carry the weight of replacing Lindsey Graham, one of the Senate's longest-serving Republicans and a fixture of South Carolina politics for decades. The special election will offer voters a direct comparison between the nominee's platform and that of the Democratic contender in November.