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by WILL FOLKS
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A day after we reported on the South Carolina Republican Party (SCGOP)’s selective enforcement of its new candidate eligibility rule, the party was sued in state court by a candidate who appears to have been arbitrarily excluded from an upcoming special primary election.
Also named in the lawsuit? The taxpayer-funded state agency which oversees elections in the Palmetto State… but which was not responsible for the controversial enforcement of the party’s rule.
Danny Ford, 40, of Anderson County, S.C., recently appeared on the Republican ballot as a candidate for secretary of agriculture. He advanced to a runoff election on June 9, 2026 but was defeated two weeks later in a head-to-head matchup by eventual GOP nominee Cody Simpson.
On Tuesday (July 28, 2026), Ford filed paperwork with the S.C. Election Commission (SCVotes) to run for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the death of Lindsey Graham. He was kicked off the ballot hours later, though, when SCGOP officials told him he did “not meet the qualifications” to run for the seat.
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RELATED | SCGOP SLAMMED OVER CANDIDATE CERTIFICATION
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While Ford was left high and dry, the party certified the candidacy of Graham’s sister – Darline Graham Nordone – even though a plain text reading of its new rule would appear to have disqualified both her and Ford from the ballot.
Per the text of the rule (.pdf), access to the GOP ballot is expressly limited to registered Republican electors who “voted in at least two of the last three statewide Republican primaries.” There is no mention of runoff elections, or “runoffs” – a separate round of balloting held two weeks after partisan primary elections in South Carolina in the event the initial vote fails to yield a candidate with the support of a majority of voters.
As we previously reported, Nordone voted in the 2026 GOP primary election – but did not vote in either the 2022 or 2024 GOP primary elections. She did, however, cast a ballot in the 2024 GOP runoff in Lexington County – which her supporters have argued qualifies her under the rule. As for Ford, he voted in both the 2026 primary and runoff – but did not vote in either the 2022 or 2024 GOP primaries or runoffs.
According to Ford’s lawsuit, filed by S.C. senator Brad Hutto, the new SCGOP rule “violates the statutes and laws and Constitution of the United States and the state of South Carolina.” Not only that, it was arbitrarily enforced, per Ford’s complaint.
“Other candidates who were not removed… have the same or similar voting history as (Ford),” the complaint noted.
That’s a reference to Nordone, whose eligibility to appear on the ballot was not subjected to the same “strict scrutiny” as Ford’s. This allegedly preferential treatment has prompted many rank-and-file Republicans to accuse the SCGOP (and its leader Drew McKissick) of rigging its primaries to benefit certain well-connected insiders – while excluding others.
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Less than two hours after Ford’s lawsuit was filed in the Richland County court of common pleas, S.C. circuit court judge Daniel M. Coble issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting the party (and SCVotes) from leaving his name off the ballot.
“There is a likelihood that immediate and irreparable harm will result to (Ford) if he is not certified as a candidate and his name is omitted from the special Republican primary ballot for U.S. Senate in violation of the South Carolina Constitution, the United States Constitution and applicable state election laws,” Coble’s order (.pdf) noted.
A hearing on Ford’s complaint has been scheduled for this coming Monday (August 3, 2026) at 9:30 a.m. EDT at the Richland County courthouse.
Our media outlet made it abundantly clear we believed the SCGOP erred in excluding Ford but not Nordone.
“Managing the electoral process is a core function of government… and if access to the ballot is being unevenly applied, that threatens the foundational integrity of our representative democracy,” we noted.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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