Darline Graham Bucks Leader Thune, Throws Weight Behind SAVE Act
Republican South Carolina Sen. Darline Graham said Monday she is ready to block the Senate’s summer escape route unless lawmakers vote on the SAVE America Act.
Graham said the election-integrity bill is a “top priority” and vowed to stay in Washington as President Donald Trump presses Senate Majority Leader John Thune to keep the chamber open.
“President Trump is 100% correct. The SAVE America Act is top priority. I will stay here as long as necessary to get it passed and signed into law,” Graham said. “I came to Washington to fight for the people of South Carolina and deliver on our conservative agenda.”
The move puts Graham in direct alignment with Trump and a growing bloc of Republican senators who are demanding action before the Senate leaves town.
Trump unloaded on Thune Monday, saying senators should not be allowed to go home until they pass the SAVE America Act or eliminate the filibuster.
“John Thune should not allow the United States Senate to ‘leave town’ until it passes The Save America Act or, far better still, TERMINATES THE FILIBUSTER, where Republicans can then quickly pass everything they ever dreamed of, including a full and deep throated SAVE AMERICA ACT, the Budget, and the ever looming Debt Ceiling disaster, 1929!” Trump wrote on Truth Social Monday. “The Dumocrats will do it on day one, and can’t believe how lucky they got with this Senate leadership. Remember, stupidity always brings LOSING & DEATH!”
The SAVE America Act would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote and photo identification at the polls.
For conservatives, that is not complicated.
If only eligible citizens are supposed to vote, then voters should have to prove they are eligible.
But the bill has hit the same old Senate wall, with Democrats blocking it and some Republicans warning that there are not enough votes to overcome a filibuster.
Thune has repeatedly said the chamber does not have the votes to pass the bill under current Senate rules.
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina has gone further, calling attempts to force the issue a “waste of time.”
That has enraged Trump allies who see the SAVE Act as a must-pass bill before the 2026 midterms.
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Sen. Mike Lee of Utah was the first senator to publicly threaten to object to the recess unless the Senate moves on the election bill.
Republican Sens. Jim Banks of Indiana, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, Ashley Moody of Florida and Rick Scott of Florida have also called for canceling the break.
RELATED: GOP Senator Comes Out Firmly Against The SAVE Act
Graham’s decision adds another voice to that pressure campaign.
Her stand is especially notable because she was sworn in only July 14 to replace her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, after his sudden death from an aortic rupture.
Instead of easing into the job, she is stepping straight into a fight with Senate leadership over one of Trump’s biggest priorities.
Lindsey Graham’s memorial service is scheduled for Tuesday inside the Capitol Rotunda, though he will not lie in state.
A six-person Armed Forces body bearer team is expected to bring his casket to the East Front of the Capitol and escort it to the Rotunda, where members of congressional leadership are expected to speak.
President Trump is 100% correct. The SAVE America Act is top priority. I will stay here as long as necessary to get it passed and signed into law.
I came to Washington to fight for the people of South Carolina and deliver on our conservative agenda. pic.twitter.com/rFshKZfU5n
— Darline Graham (@DarlineGrahamSC) July 27, 2026
A separate funeral will be held Wednesday in South Carolina after a Tuesday afternoon service at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.
The Senate could also vote this week on Lindsey Graham’s Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025, a bill aimed at penalizing purchasers of Russian energy and pressuring Moscow to end the war in Ukraine.
But Trump has made clear that election integrity cannot keep getting shoved aside while senators leave town.
He canceled the signing of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act because the Senate had not passed the SAVE America Act.
He also threatened to oppose reauthorizing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act if the SAVE America Act is not attached.
Before his death, Lindsey Graham introduced an amendment to attach the SAVE America Act to the Secure America Act, a reconciliation package Trump signed June 10.
RELATED: NEW: Major Push Underway To Flip Dems On SAVE Act After Election Development
That effort failed after Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Tillis voted against it.
Now Darline Graham is picking up the fight.
Democrats say the bill would restrict access to the ballot.
Republicans say that is the point if the people trying to access the ballot cannot prove they are American citizens.
The fight is now bigger than one bill.
It is a test of whether Senate Republicans are willing to use their power to deliver Trump’s agenda or keep hiding behind procedure while Democrats run out the clock.
Graham just made clear where she stands.
No recess until the SAVE Act gets its day.
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