Darline Graham Nordone advances to GOP Senate runoff in South Carolina

Darline Graham Nordone, the sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, advanced to a runoff election on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, in the special Republican primary to replace her brother in the U.S. Senate. The Associated Press and Decision Desk HQ projected her advancement at approximately 8:15 p.m. EDT, with Graham Nordone holding about 33% of the vote with 37% of ballots counted. She will face the second-place finisher in a runoff on August 25 to determine the Republican nominee for the full six-year term.

Graham Nordone, who was appointed to serve the remaining months of her brother's term by Governor Henry McMaster after Lindsey Graham's sudden death on July 11, overcame a field of 10 candidates. To avoid a runoff, she needed to surpass the 50% threshold required by South Carolina law, which she did not achieve. The race for the second runoff spot remained extremely close between U.S. Representatives Russell Fry and Ralph Norman, who were separated by just a few hundred votes with over a third of the estimated vote counted.

The special primary was triggered by the death of Senator Lindsey Graham, who passed away at his Washington home from an aortic dissection. His sister,...