by WILL FOLKS
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U.S. congressman Ralph Norman of South Carolina is pushing back against what he insists is a “ginned up” national media campaign aimed at forcing him to vocally support interim U.S. senator Darline Graham Nordone in her surprisingly close election against Democrat Annie Andrews.
Nordone narrowly defeated Norman in a Republican runoff two months ago to replace Lindsey Graham on the GOP ballot. During that race, Nordone’s special interest allies spent millions of dollars attacking Norman – and have continued to vilify his supporters ever since.
Not surprisingly, Norman – and his family – have not embraced Nordone’s candidacy. Meanwhile, many conservative voters in the Palmetto State have embraced the ‘Write-In Ralph’ movement – an unexpectedly muscular right-leaning grassroots organization that intends to write in Norman’s name on the ballot this fall.
Earlier this week, reporter Mia McCarthy of Politico reported Norman was “under pressure” from fellow South Carolina “Republicans” to be more supportive of Nordone – who continues struggling mightily in her bid for a full, six-year term against Andrews.
McCarthy’s article quoted U.S. congressman Russell Fry saying his colleague should “step into the arena,” “step into the sunlight” and “be more vocal” in support of Nordone. No one else was quoted in the story.
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Norman disputed that he was feeling “pressure,” telling FITSNews that characterization was “not true” – while accusing the national press of trying to gin up a narrative in the hopes “it will incentivize people to call me.”
“They can’t name one person who has called (or) reached out to because there hasn’t been anyone!” Norman said.
Norman’s response seemed to indicate the attempted pressure campaign on him had already backfired – with the outgoing congressman making it crystal clear a joint campaign appearance with his erstwhile rival “is not going to happen.”
According to the Rock Hill, S.C. native, GOP voters in the Palmetto State do not have to “settle for a candidate that has been propped up by special interest groups and a Republican president spending millions of dollars spreading false narratives about why (she) is qualified to be elected to the U.S. Senate for the next six years.”
“This election is about attempts to force a candidate on the voters of South Carolina,” Norman said. “It didn’t have to be this way as the great people living in South Carolina deserve better!”
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“Bottom line – elections have consequences!” Norman added.
As for Nordone, Norman blistered her in no uncertain terms – making it unequivocally clear he had no intention of joining her on the 2026 campaign trial.
“There is no way I would cave and campaign for this totally fake candidate,” he said. “No way I would campaign for this fraud of a candidate.”
Challenged on his obligation to “support” the GOP nominee following a contested primary, Norman made it clear he’d already checked that box – clarifying “support does not mean campaigning for her.” He further noted U.S. president Donald Trump‘s visit to his hometown this week – his second appearance on behalf of Nordone in as many weeks – was intended to force his hand.
A liberal bureaucrat, Nordone was dragged to victory two months ago by Trump and a secretive array of insider special interests. Since claiming her runoff win, Nordone and her allies have shown zero interest in courting Norman backers – instead becoming increasingly agitated as the ‘Write-In Ralph’ movement has gained momentum.
Polls show the November 3, 2026 election between Nordone and Andrews is a toss-up. As we reported last week, a modeling analysis of early voting in the Palmetto State through last Wednesday (October 22, 2026) showed Andrews leading Nordone among early voters by roughly 8% – approximately the level of support she would need to maintain in order to have a chance come election day (when Republicans hold a significant voting edge in ostensibly “ruby red” South Carolina).
The GOP percentage of the early vote has increased significantly since that analysis was conducted – which should favor Nordone – but sources familiar with the modeling indicated her numbers weren’t budging.
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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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