Runoff Election
Trump-endorsed appointed senator versus a Freedom Caucus congressman backed by Haley
Lindsey Graham died on July 11, and the governor appointed his sister, Darline Graham, to the seat days later. She and Rep. Ralph Norman led the ten-candidate August 11 primary without either reaching a majority, sending the Republican nomination to this head-to-head runoff.
Next: TV debate Tue 7PM
Born and raised in Rock Hill, South Carolina
Government efficiency — Calls the $40 trillion national debt his top concern, saying Congress has 'a spending problem,' not an income problem. Voted against the 2023 Fiscal Responsibility Act for not cutting enough, and wants offsets required for new federal spending while targeting mandatory programs, over 70% of the budget.
Former Gov. Nikki Haley +8
Bachelor of Science in Sociology, College of Charleston (1989)
Affordability — Says she will likely put more focus on affordability than her brother and predecessor did, who was focused on national security: 'Lindsey was focused on national security... but I will probably be focused more on affordability.' Also: 'I know what it is to struggle from week to week, paycheck to paycheck.'
President Donald Trump +8
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Senate Republicans hold 53 of 100 seats, enough to confirm judicial and executive nominees on a simple majority but short of the 60 votes most legislation needs to clear a filibuster, so a single senator's alignment with the White House can matter to which nominees and bills reach the floor with the votes to pass.
Casts entering politics as answering Trump's call rather than personal ambition: 'I never expected to be on this stage... I've never had any desire to be a politician. I'm here today because I'm answering President Trump's call to serve. I want to stand up for South Carolina, and I want to fight for President Trump's agenda.'
The Washington Times (AP)Federal Spending and the National Debt
The gross national debt passed $39 trillion in March 2026 with annual deficits near $2 trillion — a pace the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget has criticized as running roughly twice its recommended deficit target of 3 percent of GDP. A senator's direct lever is votes on appropriations and the debt ceiling, not a constitutional balanced-budget requirement, which needs two-thirds support in both chambers plus ratification by three-quarters of the states, a bar Congress fell well short of when the House rejected one such amendment 211-207 in March 2026, short of the roughly 290 votes required.
Calls the $40 trillion national debt his top concern, saying Congress has 'a spending problem,' not an income problem. Voted against the 2023 Fiscal Responsibility Act for not cutting enough, and wants offsets required for new federal spending while targeting mandatory programs, over 70% of the budget.
ABC News 4Voting Rules and Election Eligibility
The SAVE Act, which would require documentary proof of citizenship at registration and photo ID to vote in federal elections, passed the House 218-213 in February 2026 with the support of all House Republicans but only one Democrat, and has not advanced in the Senate, where it needs 60 votes against a Republican conference that holds only 53 of 100 seats. That gap is why some Republicans have floated changing the Senate's filibuster rule specifically to pass it.
Calls passing the SAVE Act's citizenship and voter-roll rules his top Senate priority, willing to go around the standard 60-vote threshold to do it: 'I will do whatever it takes to get that. That's a top priority — even if it means blowing the filibuster up.'
Live 5 NewsCycle-to-date · FEC — figures change as new reports are filed.
NormanGrahamResearched & verified Aug 15, 2026. Compiled from verified public sources; claims that failed verification are excluded.