Politics

Darline Graham Wins South Carolina GOP Runoff

Is this a heartfelt triumph for democracy, an establishment-funded betrayal or an opportunity for Democrats?

2 hours ago·Updated 43 minutes ago

Darline Graham Wins South Carolina GOP Runoff

Story

Above: Darlene Graham at a Republican runoff watch party in Columbia, S.C., on Aug. 25. Image credit: Brogan Jackson/Bloomberg/Getty Images

The Spin

Republican narrative

Darline Graham's primary win proves voters can sometimes choose heart over resume, and there's nothing wrong with that. South Carolina Republicans picked someone with genuine human qualities over a polished insider, and that instinct is exactly what democracy is supposed to look like. As for her tendency for making gaffes, it shows she's bringing a refreshing authenticity to a Senate full of scripted ghosts.

American Spectator

Eric Daugherty on X

Conservative narrative

Graham's win — only possible thanks to outside donor funds and political machinery — is a betrayal of everything MAGA promised. $8 million flooded in from clean energy interests and Lindsey Graham's old network, buying continuity with the same pro-war, deal-cutting swamp politics Trump once declared war on. This is the exact opposite of draining the swamp.

Blaze Media The New Republic

Democratic narrative

Darline Graham is unfit for more reasons than Republicans are willing to admit. Not only is she going to blindly — and admittedly so — support the unpopular foreign policy agenda of her brother, but she's openly disregarded her constituents' needs at the domestic level. A woman who shrugs off parents not being able to afford healthcare should not be a U.S. senator, and Andrews will highlight that come November.

Annie Andrews on X The New York Times