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by MARK POWELL
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A classic comedy film’s theme song says, “the only thing you are sure of, is that nothing is sure.” That’s never been truer in South Carolina’s 356-year history than at this moment. At least in the political arena.
On Friday afternoon (July 17, 2026), president Donald Trump threw yet another monkey wrench into an electoral landscape that has seen more twists, turns, and hairpin curves than the Pacific Coast Highway.
“It was my Honor to welcome now Senator Darline Graham Nordone (The sister of the Late, Great Lindsey Graham!), from the Wonderful State of South Carolina, into the Oval Office,” Trump began innocently enough with a Truth Social post.
Actually, our audience will recall Trump preempted South Carolina governor Henry McMaster earlier this week – suggesting his Palmetto State lackey tap Nordone to fill Graham’s seat (which he obediently did).
Then came the bombshell: “I asked Darline, for the Good of our Nation, to run for the U.S. Senate in the Special Republican Primary on Tuesday, August 11, 2026… should she accept, (she) has my Complete and Total Endorsement in the Special Election for U.S. Senate.”
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For her part, the newly minted Sen. Graham is said to be weighing her options. Which is political code for “It’s distinctly possible.”
When word hit the Palmetto State, the reaction was two-fold: “Huh?” followed by “I thought she was just going to be a placeholder?”
Indeed, that was the conventional wisdom within the state all week. When McMaster announced she would fill out the remainder of her late brother’s term at a State House news conference on Monday, the news was greeted as a traditional courtesy, much the way an appointment is also given to a widow or widower.
That, most politicos thought, was that. Attention focused on the possible lost of candidates to replace Graham on November’s ballot for a full six-year term. But while many South Carolinians were swapping political gossip about who was likely in or out, breadcrumbs were being dropped that something was afoot on the Potomac.
It started on Wednesday, when CBS News asked U.S. senator Tim Scott (now the state’s senior senator) if Graham’s sister, the interim replacement, should get a shot at seeking the job on a full-time basis. His reply: “Why not her?”
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“That set the Beltway punditry swirling,” one national Republican operative told us confidentially. “This whole thing has D.C.’s fingerprints all over it. Let’s face it: a lot of powerful forces in Washington want to see Graham’s existing legislative, political, and communications teams remain in place. What better way to do that than by having his own sister at the helm saying, ‘Stay the course; steady as she goes’?”
Back home in South Carolina, most of the attention had centered on Republican congressmen Russell Fry and William Timmons, who both expressed an interesting in seeking the GOP nomination. Both are MAGA favorites (Fry especially so) with ties to Trump. Days of furious behind-the-scenes maneuvering ended with a resolution that left no one happy: a sitting Republican House member giving up his current seat for a shot at the bigger prize could seriously further endanger the GOP’s already bleak outlook when the next Congress convenes on Jan. 3, 2027. Thus effectively ended the Fry-Timmons candidacy bubbles.
A host of other would-be alternatives are already maneuvering into the position to run. Most notably are Congressman Ralph Norman and Mark Lynch, the candidate whom Lindsey Graham easily bested in the June 9 primary.
A parade of other possibles are pondering jumping into the race. Too many, in fact, to name here now. However, Trump’s endorsement may give some pause to reconsider.
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Yet, evidence is growing that Trump’s support isn’t the sure-fire secret to success at the ballot box that it was just a few years ago. For starters, the newly released Emerson College poll, first reported by this news outlet, finds that a significant number of Republican voters — just over 40% — say Trump’s endorsement doesn’t impact how they cast their ballot. Nearly 20% indicated they might even be less likely to support a candidate receiving his backing.
Then there’s the proof delivered at the voting booth in last month’s primary and runoff elections. Despite having Trump’s backing going into the June 9 voting, lieutenant governor Pamela Evette fared so poorly that Trump had to make a face-saving “co-endorsement” of attorney general Alan Wilson, the eventual nominee, in the runoff.
“If it were a commodity, his endorsement would be trading at a much-devalued level these days, that’s for sure,’ the GOP strategist said. “So, potential serious candidates don’t need to be afraid of that alone. A much bigger obstacle would be matching Ralph Norman’s immense personal wealth. Lots of luck trying to outraise him.”
Whoever winds up joining Norman in tossing their hat into the ring doesn’t have much time to make up their minds. Filing opens on Tuesday, July 21, and runs through the following Tuesday, July 28.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
J. Mark Powell is an award-winning former TV journalist, government communications veteran, and a political consultant. He is also an author and an avid Civil War enthusiast. Got a tip or a story idea for Mark? Email him at mark@fitsnews.com.
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