Darline Graham wants to keep the Senate seat her late brother held for nearly two decades—but South Carolina voters aren't convinced a famous last name is a qualification.
The special Republican primary on Tuesday will test whether the Graham dynasty can survive the same populist energy that swept the establishment out of power in 2016. Lindsey Graham, who died last month from a tear in his aorta, was nominated for a fifth term before his death. His sister Darline was promptly appointed to replace him—catapulted from obscurity into one of the most powerful offices in the country with zero electoral experience and zero mandate from voters.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee and President Trump have both backed her, with the NRSC running television ads on her behalf. But the party apparatus propping up a dynastic appointment is exactly the kind of insider dealing that fuels voter disgust with Washington.
"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," Kathy Bustos of Mount Pleasant told the AP after a Republican forum last week.
Graham spent years in state government working with people with disabilities and as head of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind—a respectable career, but not one that prepares anyone to legislate on federal spending, foreign policy, or constitutional rights. She lived a quiet life in Lexington with her husband and daughters, largely unknown in South Carolina's political circles.
Now she's up against several seasoned Republicans: Representatives Russell Fry and Ralph Norman, and former Gov. Mark Sanford. The crowded field makes a runoff likely on August 25.
Graham has been conspicuously absent from the campaign trail, spending most of her time in Washington as an interim senator. She skipped a Friday meeting of the Fourth District Republican Club in Greenville, sending a video message instead: "I'm in Washington working hard for you." She promised to be "a great friend and ally" to Trump.
At a candidate event in Florence on Saturday, Graham apologized for reading from notes behind a podium, pointing to Senate votes that kept her in Washington until hours before she headed to meet voters. "Yes, I have some notes. You know why? Because—" the AP reported.
Some supporters praised her decision to stay in Washington rather than campaign. "She committed to not missing votes or not being there to push forward with those bills," said Teresa Castrinos, who drove hours from Bluffton. "I feel like she's putting South Carolina first."
Maybe. Or maybe a candidate who can't campaign without a teleprompter and can't face voters without notes isn't ready for the job. The NRSC and the White House want South Carolina to rubber-stamp the appointment. Voters will decide if a famous name is enough to earn a Senate seat—or if the ruling class needs to learn the same lesson it learned in 2016.
