South Carolina GOP Senate showdown heads to runoff in race to succeed Lindsey Graham

Appointed Sen. Darline Graham and Rep. Ralph Norman have advanced to a runoff election in the special Republican Senate primary in South Carolina, the Associated Press reported, in the race to succeed the late Sen. Lindsey Graham.

With no candidate topping 50% of the vote, Graham and Norman will face off in the runoff in two weeks. Rep. Russell Fry and former Gov. and former Rep. Mark Sanford, as well as other contenders, fell short in Tuesday's primary, which was held one month to the day after the late longtime senator suddenly died at age 71.

The nomination showdown is the latest test of President Donald Trump's immense grip over the GOP and the power of his endorsements in Republican primaries, as the president backed Graham, who is the late senator's younger sister. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster last month appointed Graham to fill the remainder of the current Senate term, which concludes at the end of the year.

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"I want to thank President Trump, his steadfast support and his complete and total endorsement means so much to me. He knows that I will stand with him and fight for his agenda, just like Lindsey did," Graham said at her primary night event.

Norman, who unsuccessfully campaigned this year for the GOP gubernatorial nomination in the race to succeed term-limited South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, and Fry, a two-term congressman, are both House allies of Trump and also showcased their support for the president in their Senate campaigns.

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Sanford, who briefly launched a long-shot and unsuccessful White House GOP nomination challenge against Trump in the 2020 presidential primaries, is known as a fiscally conservative budget hawk. Sanford pointed to the nation's debt as a key motivator behind his decision to launch a Senate campaign.

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The large field of GOP contenders also included businessman Mark Lynch, who lost to Lindsey Graham by nearly 30 points in the June Republican Senate primary.

The Trump endorsement hasn't proven to be a sure bet this cycle in solidly-red South Carolina.

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Trump backed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette for the GOP gubernatorial nomination — in the race to succeed the term-limited McMaster — ahead of the state's early June primary.

Evette was the top vote-getter in the primary but lost the ensuing runoff election against South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson in a landslide. And Trump, ever hungry for a victory, endorsed Wilson in addition to Evette days before the runoff.

The winner of the Senate runoff election in two weeks will be considered the clear front runner in the midterms against Democratic nominee Annie Andrews, a pediatrician.