|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
by MARK POWELL
***
“Here come the F-16s.” That’s how one national GOP strategist described the runoff campaign for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination in South Carolina.
Interim U.S. senator Darline Graham Nordone and fifth district congressman Ralph Norman advanced to the final round as the top two vote-getters in last week’s special GOP primary election. But they’re far from duking it out alone.
This is what political insiders refer to as a “proxy war” – and it could produce some intense party infighting in the coming days.
Seldom in recent memory has there been a runoff election in which ideological battle lines were so starkly drawn as this one. On the one side, we have Nordone fighting to continue the status quo legacy of her late brother, Lindsey Graham. Nordone is backed by the GOP establishment and promising to provide six more years of her brother’s policies. On the other side, we have Norman – the conservative hardliner and fiscal hawk – who is backed by the party’s right flank as he vows to shake up business as usual on Capitol Hill.
***
“This is the point where political proxies enter the picture,” the strategist explained. “They’re F-16s that come sweeping into a race, providing air cover while delivering maximum firepower. They are the heavy hitters, the political pros who know how to win elections. They often bring obscenely large amounts of money, too. And they often tend to the messy details — like attacking the opponent — so the candidate’s hands stay clean. The fighting between proxies is often how elections are won and lost.”
Proxies most often come in the form of political action committees – and plenty of them are making their presence felt in South Carolina.
Nordone is being assisted by the Fund for America’s Future, Lindsey Graham’s PAC; the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), the GOP arm responsible for electing and retaining Republican senators; and the biggie – the so-called Security is Strength PAC.
***
?#SCSuccession
— FITSNews (@fitsnews) August 18, 2026
Forever War Inc. is doing everything within its power to sink @RalphNorman's bid for U.S. Senate. pic.twitter.com/ZVCfyOqkwp
***
The latter is dropping serious coin to keep her in office. Flings with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) showed it had shelled out $920,000 as of early August, including things like TV, digital, direct mail and text messaging. And that total has only grown since then.
Additionally, a newly created organization called the Darline Graham Majority Fund is serving as a joint fundraising committee that brings together participants including Darline for Senate, Fund for America’s Future, the NRSC, and Security is Strength.
The Norman campaign appears to be a bit more challenged in terms of PAC support. The Palmetto First PAC is his most prominent booster, although the roughly $8,000 it had spent as of last week looks paltry compared to the big bucks being showered on Nordone’s behalf.
Likewise, Norman has his own PAC, the Conservative Opportunity Fund, and created Ralph Norman for Senate upon jumping into the special primary face.
***
RELATED | TRUMP SHOULD STOP MEDDLING IN S.C. ELECTIONS
***
Norman was intentionally frugal with his campaign spending heading into the August 11 special primary. The $250,713 he spent was parsimonious compared to Nordone’s $1.5 million. (While PACs can donate to campaigns, super PACs cannot; their expenditures are separate from the campaign they support, and there is no limit on the amount of cash they can dole out).
The target of all these entities? South Carolina Republican voters… especially the 335,555 of them who showed up last Tuesday to vote in the initial
“There’s no time for niceties, no time for beating around the bush,” our strategist said. “You’ve got to land heavy blows on your opponent, fast, and you’ve got to make sure they stick. That’s where the proxies step up and do the heavy lifting. They point out the flaws in the rival’s record, their shortcomings, how they may be out of step with everyday voters. They don’t sling mud — but they come very close to it.”
All that concentrated firepower allows candidates to stay on the high road, play defense when necessary, and stay positive whenever possible.
The closest Nordone and Norman will come to mixing it up is when they face off in the runoff’s only debate, scheduled for this evening (August 18, 2026) in Newberry.
“There’s ne no margin for error tonight,” the strategist concluded. “Because early voting will begin the next morning.”
Keep it tuned to FITSNews as we track all of the money being spent on this race, the entities spending it, tonight’s debate and Tuesday’s special runoff election…
***
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.
***
SOUND OFF…
Got something you’d like to say in response to one of our articles? Or an issue you’d like to address proactively? We have an open microphone policy! Submit your letter to the editor (or guest column) via email HERE. Got a tip for a story? CLICK HERE. Got a technical question or a glitch to report? CLICK HERE.
