BREAKING: Winner Declared In South Carolina’s Closely-Watched Runoff To Replace Lindsey Graham

On Aug 25, 2026

Interim U.S. Senator Darline Graham has secured the Republican nomination for a full six-year term after defeating U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman in a tightly contested runoff election on Tuesday night.

The contest followed the death of her brother, longtime Senator Lindsey Graham, on July 11. Governor Henry McMaster appointed her on July 13 to complete the remainder of the term, which runs through early January 2027. She announced her candidacy for a full six-year term shortly afterward with the backing of president Donald Trump.

Graham advanced from a crowded 10-candidate special primary on August 11, in which she received approximately 33 percent of the vote, while Norman finished second with about 24 to 25 percent. Other candidates included U.S. Rep. Russell Fry, who took roughly 20 percent, and former Governor Mark Sanford. Because no candidate reached a majority, South Carolina law required a runoff.

As votes were tallied on runoff night, incomplete returns showed Graham holding a lead in the low-to-mid 50 percent range, with Norman trailing in the mid-to-high 40s. Outstanding votes, including remaining precincts and any late-counted ballots, continued to favor Graham. Norman underperformed relative to benchmarks based on his strength in the Upstate region and his congressional district during the first round of voting.

At the time of Decision Desk HQ’s race call at 8:40 p.m. Eastern Time, Graham led by a little under 14,000 votes, or roughly five percentage points, with 69 percent of ballots tallied.

Decision Desk HQ projects Darline Graham wins the SC US Senate Republican Runoff#DecisionMade: 8:38 PM EDT pic.twitter.com/7N8zAWwRKy

— Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) August 26, 2026

The race had tightened in the days leading up to the runoff, according to prediction markets. Early post-primary odds on platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket had placed Graham’s chances of winning the nomination in the 70 to 80 percent range or higher. Those figures narrowed in the final week, reflecting a competitive head-to-head contest, though Graham retained a clear advantage heading into Election Day.

Graham entered the runoff with the endorsement of President Donald Trump, who had encouraged her to seek the full term and later campaigned with her in Myrtle Beach. Additional support came from Gov. McMaster, Sen. Tim Scott, and several other Republican officials, including Fry after he finished third in the initial primary.

Norman drew endorsements from figures such as former Governors Nikki Haley and Mark Sanford, along with some members of the House Freedom Caucus.

Graham, who previously served ascommissioner of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind and a longtime advocate on disability issues, had limited prior elected experience. Norman, a real estate developer and multi-term congressman who was first elected to the House in a 2017 special election, emphasized his legislative record and conservative positions in the short runoff campaign.

With the nomination in-hand, Graham is set to face off against Democrat nominee Annie Andrews, a pediatrician who won her party’s primary in June. Given the state’s voter composition and recent election results, Graham is heavily favored to secure the full six-year term.