In the unpredictable world of special-election politics, South Carolina’s Republican Senate runoff has become a high-stakes test of President Donald Trump’s political pull. With the election just four days off, Trump is traveling to Myrtle Beach on Friday to campaign alongside Sen. Darline Graham — a move that some see as a final Hail Mary for a campaign already in a tailspin.
Graham, who was appointed to finish the term of her late brother, has seen her bid for a full term imperiled by a debate performance that left even her allies wincing. Most notably, she admitted she was “not that informed about national security” when asked about Taiwan and the South China Sea. That gaffe, along with other missteps, has fueled doubts about her readiness for the job.
A Campaign on the Ropes
The numbers tell a sobering story for Graham’s camp. She won just 32.74% of the vote in the first primary, meaning more than 67% of primary voters chose someone else. Her lead over runoff opponent Ralph Norman is only eight points. Some observers, including PJ Media’s Scott Pinsker, have suggested that her debate flubs could cost her the race by double digits.
“Without Trump, Darline wouldn’t have a chance,” said Mick Mulvaney, the former South Carolina congressman and Trump administration official. “And by that, I mean she’d be polling at very low, single digits.”
Mulvaney, who knows the state’s politics intimately, said Myrtle Beach is the right venue for Trump’s rally but questioned whether the endorsement will be enough. “Polling indicates that maybe only 40 percent of voters put a lot of weight on his endorsement,” he noted. “That, combined with her astonishingly poor performance in the debate earlier this week, may make this race much closer than people realize.”
A Test of Trump’s Sway
For Trump, the stakes are personal. He endorsed Graham for her brother’s seat, and the White House has reportedly leaned on Republican rivals to back her. A defeat in South Carolina would raise fresh questions about the president’s ability to keep his party in line — particularly in a state that has been reliably red.
But some conservative stalwarts are openly rejecting Trump’s pick, despite his efforts. The rally in Myrtle Beach, located in the heart of Rep. Russell Fry’s district, is aimed at swaying persuadable voters. Fry, who finished third in the primary, has endorsed Graham.
An Uncomfortable Parallel
Pinsker draws a striking comparison between Graham and Harriet Miers, President George W. Bush’s ill-fated Supreme Court nominee. Miers, a loyal but underqualified pick, was savaged by conservatives for her weak performance in Senate questioning. Bush vouched for her character, saying “I know her heart,” a defense that echoes Trump’s praise of Graham as “a very good woman.”
Miers ultimately withdrew, paving the way for Samuel Alito, who became a conservative mainstay on the Court. Pinsker suggests that Graham, like Miers, may lack the intellectual preparation needed to withstand Washington’s pressures — a concern heightened by her admission of limited national security knowledge in a state with roughly 400,000 veterans and seven major military bases.
There is, however, a potential silver lining. After Miers’s collapse, it was Sen. Lindsey Graham who helped grease the wheels of her exit by requesting her legal documents. That move, Pinsker argues, shows that some Republicans understood the importance of competence over loyalty. Whether Darline Graham can recover from her own stumble — with or without Trump’s help — remains to be seen.
Tuesday’s runoff will be the ultimate test of whether a Trump endorsement can rescue a campaign that many believe has already slipped beyond saving.
Source: pjmedia.com — https://pjmedia.com/scott-pinsker/2026/08/21/playing-the-trump-card-can-trump-save-darline-grahams-gasping-sputtering-senate-campaign-n4956391
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