S.C. Succession: Who Has “Big Mo” Headed Into U.S. Senate Runoff?

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by MARK POWELL

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“What we will have is momentum. We will be looking forward to ‘Big Mo’ being on our side.”

With those words delivered on a frigid Des Moines night at his campaign headquarters, then-presidential candidate George H.W. Bush entered a new phrase into the American political lexicon. He had just won the opening round of the 1980 Republican nominating process, besting front-runner Ronald Reagan in the Iowa Caucuses.

Although the phrase had been used in sports for years, Bush was the first to apply it to a political campaign contest, and it stuck. Unfortunately for him — and his initial campaign for the White House — the momentum didn’t last long. After his stunning upset in Iowa, Reagan roared back to life and shellacked Bush four weeks later in the New Hampshire primary.

To this day, though, candidates still talk about having “Big Mo” on their side come election time.

“Big Mo” is a critical factor in this week’s special GOP runoff election for the U.S. Senate in South Carolina, where congressman Ralph Norman and interim U.S. senator Darline Graham Nordone face off for the chance to be the party’s standard bearer in the November 3 general election.

In that contest, Big Mo isn’t just about momentum – it’s about motivation. As the old Don Henley song once asked, “How Bad Do You Want It?”

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“The answer to that question will determine who emerges the winner on Tuesday night,” a national GOP strategist unaffiliated with either campaign told us. “In a race that poll after poll finds is paper-thin going in, the motivation of supporters is what it all boils down to.”

This news outlet reported on that factor two weeks ago ahead of the August 11, 2026 primary election for this seat. Going into that initial round of voting, Nordone’s lead was widely accepted as a given, although polling consistently indicated she would finish well below the simple majority threshold needed to clinch the nomination outright.

In South Carolina partisan primary elections, if no one captures a majority of votes on the first ballot then the top two candidates advance to a head-to-head-runoff election two weeks later.

Norman went toe-to-toe with fellow congressman Russell Fry in the race for second place – edging him out of contention by a mere 16,672 votes. Fry subsequently endorsed Nordone, but the race’s fourth- and fifth-place finishers – who combined for 20% of the vote – have both endorsed Norman.

“In a special election, it’s not enough to have more voters than your opponent,” the strategist noted. “They’ve got to want to win more badly than the other candidate. And in a runoff for a special election, they need motivation by a factor of fifty.”

Hence the new “Big Mo.”

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RELATED | ‘DEI’ DARLINE

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Getting folks to the polls in a special election is always challenging because there’s just one race on the ballot. And while this is obviously a high-profile seat – the timing of this particular special election is far from fortuitous for voter turnout.

“The last week of August is miserable for voting,” our strategist opined. “The final wave of summer vacations is in full swing. Moms and dads are still struggling with getting kids back into the school routine. And let’s face it, in South Carolina in particular, people are facing voter fatigue. They voted in the June primary, then they voted again in its runoff. Then they voted in the Senate special primary. Now it’s the Senate runoff — that’s four times in 11 weeks. And based on early voting participation for the runoff, that’s apparently one election too many for a lot of folks.”

Yet amid that atmosphere of declining public interest, the volume has exploded into a deafening roar as both sides—especially Nordone and her allies —are throwing in everything but the kitchen sink.

“I can’t pick up my mail without finding a piece from a pro-Nordone PAC attacking Ralph Norman in it,” one South Carolina Republican voted lamented. “I can’t turn on my TV or go online without seeing another attack ad targeting him.”

Indeed, Nordone’s side has stacked all its chips in the middle of the table in a go-for-broke final blitz hoping to sway voters in the campaign’s closing days. The crowning jewel came Friday night, when president Donald Trump flew to Myrtle Beach and held a rally to support her.

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I am proud to stand with President Donald J. Trump, to work hard for this country, and to work for the great state of South Carolina every single day.

I would be honored to earn your vote this Tuesday, August 25. ?? pic.twitter.com/V94I4z2i2a

— Darline Graham (@DarlineGrahamSC) August 22, 2026

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“The acid test of just how badly Trump wants her to win was displayed then,” a non-aligned Republican pollster opined to us. “Not by merely coming to South Carolina to rally her supporters, either. Trump showed how desperately he wants Nordone to win simply by not saying the name ‘Ralph Norman.’ He loves attacking candidates who’re challenging those he endorses. A Ralph Norman defeat tops his personal wish list right now. And for a president who is famous for his lack of verbal self-control when playing offense, it shows just how intensely he wants Nordone to win and Norman to lose. He was even willing to shut up to make it happen.”

Trump clearly displayed the new “Big Mo” while talking in Myrtle Beach.

But will that momentum translate to his candidate of choice?

Trump’s endorsement – once the gold standard in the Palmetto State – has been significantly debased during the current election cycle. And while it’s hard to see a presidential visit to South Carolina hurting a candidate, how much it will help is an open question.

A flurry of recent polls shared with FITSNews appear to show the race slipping away from Nordone – with Norman gaining ground over the final days of the election.

Who will claim this nomination?

We’ll find out Tuesday night…

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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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