Will Darlene Graham win the special election to replace her beloved brother Lindsey in the Senate?
68% of users predicted YES — the community got this one right. 37 predictions cast.
Sen. Darline Graham defeated Rep. Ralph Norman in South Carolina's Aug. 25, 2026, Republican Senate runoff, winning about 52.5 percent of the vote to Norman's 47.5 percent, a margin of roughly five points and more than 18,000 votes out of about 369,000 cast. The win secures Graham the GOP nomination to seek a full six-year term in the seat long held by her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died in July 2026 of an aortic dissection. Gov. Henry McMaster had appointed her that month to serve out his term.
Reporting cited President Trump's endorsement, reinforced by roughly $830,000 in spending from the pro-Trump super PAC MAGA Inc. on voter calls and text messaging, as central to Graham's win over Norman, a longtime House member with his own political base. Name recognition tied to her brother's decades in the Senate, along with sympathy following his death, were also cited as factors in turnout and vote choice.
Graham advances to the November general election against Democratic nominee Annie Andrews, a pediatrician, in the heavily Republican state, with the winner serving the remainder of the six-year term.
The community's 68 percent YES estimate proved correct.