In her first political ad, Darline Graham, sister of the recently deceased (and allegedly queer) anti-LGBTQ+ Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), said, “Men don’t belong in women’s sports” and other statements meant to burnish her MAGA conservative credentials, as Republican in her state doubt her chances of winning an election, especially considering that she is widely unknown to voters and has never held an elected office before her brother’s death on July 11.
“Thank you all for your prayers. They provided strength through an incredibly difficult time,” she says at the beginning of her 30-second ad. “I’m honored to serve South Carolina and grateful for President Trump’s endorsement. And I’ll work hard every day to earn it.”
Related
“I’m a conservative Republican, and I believe this: every life is precious. Men don’t belong in women’s sports, and only American citizens should vote in our elections,” she continues, repeating right-wing anti-abortion and voter disenfranchisement rhetoric. “I’m Darline Graham. I approve this message, and I’m ready to serve.”
Your LGBTQ+ guide to Elections
Stay ahead of the election with our newsletter that covers candidates, issues, and perspectives that matter.
Darline Graham was appointed to fill her deceased brother’s U.S. Senate seat by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) two days after his death. She is now running against nine other Republican candidates in the GOP’s August 11 special primary race to hold the seat for the next six years. Her competitors include U.S. Reps. Russell Fry and Ralph Norman, former U.S. Rep. Mark Sanford (R-SC), and others. The primary is expected to proceed into an August 25 runoff election between the prmary’s highest ranking candidates.
Whoever wins will face Democratic Dr. Annie Andrews in a November election that the nonpartisan Cook Political Report predicts as “solidly Republican.” An Emerson College poll released Thursday put Darline Graham in second place, getting 19% support among 500 likely Republican voters; just three percentage points behind Norman, who got 22% support.
But even with Trump’s endorsement, some conservative activists in South Carolina recently told The Washington Post that they feel unsure about supporting Darline Graham because of her lack of political experience, beyond her public support of her brother.
Some Republican political operatives said that Graham may struggle to win the GOP primaries, especially since some diehard MAGA voters (who are typically among the few who vote in off-season special and runoff elections) had already grown tired of her brother’s war hawkishness and willingness to work with Senate Democrats. While she reportedly plans to position herself as being even more conservative and right-wing as her brother, she may not have much time to convey that message to voters statewide.
“Some [Republican voters] are simply irked that Trump wants to hand off a coveted six-year term to someone based on family ties, rather than a proven conservative record,” the aforementioned publication wrote.
Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.