Trump’s super fans are torn on Darline Graham ahead of key GOP Senate contest

2026 ElectionTrump’s super fans are torn on Darline Graham ahead of key GOP Senate contestAs Trump rallied Friday evening for the appointed senator seeking a six-year term, it was clear she hadn’t won over some segments of the MAGA base who could be decisive.Listen to this article with a free profile00:0000:00President Donald Trump has endorsed Sen. Darline Graham for a full Senate term.Saul Loeb / AFP via Getty ImagesShareAdd to GoogleAug. 21, 2026, 8:29 PM EDTBy Sahil Kapur and Patrick MaguireMYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — It’s a warning sign for Sen. Darline Graham when devoted fans of President Donald Trump, who are decked out in MAGA gear and wait hours in the summer heat to watch him speak, aren’t sold on giving her a six-year Senate term.Trump rallied Friday evening with Graham, the South Carolina Republican who was appointed by the state’s governor to finish the term of her elder brother, Lindsey Graham, who died suddenly last month at 71.She faces five-term Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., in Tuesday’s runoff. The winner will be a heavy favorite this fall against Democratic nominee Dr. Annie Andrews in this red state.“I’m going to vote for Ralph Norman, unfortunately for Graham,” said Daniel Musick, a Myrtle Beach voter who called Trump “the best president we’ve ever had.”“It’s just that she’s untested. I don’t know enough about her,” he said.Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., greets supporters at a campaign rally she held with President Donald Trump in Myrtle Beach, S.C., on Friday evening.Win McNamee / Getty ImagesGraham’s candidacy has come under scrutiny after a couple of high-profile blunders at Tuesday’s GOP debate. When asked if Taiwan and the South China Sea are U.S. national security issues, she said she’s “not that informed on national security.” She also said that are “50 million people in South Carolina” — the state’s population is just under 5.6 million.The debate was enough to move Musick, who said Graham’s answer on China and Taiwan made it “really unclear that sh...