For Darline Graham, Primary Is No Slam Dunk

A story in the Washington Post suggests that GOP voters in South Carolina may be about to hand President Trump a rebuke. Trump is backing Darline Graham in the Aug. 11 primary for her late brother's Senate seat—but many conservative activists say they're not buying it. They question her thin political résumé, her close association with a brother who angered parts of the MAGA base, and what looks to them like a family handoff to a prized seat. "People are going to be independently minded in this, and I don't think that Trump is the end all, be all, that he used to be," is how CJ Westfall, chairman of the Dorchester County Republican Party, puts it.

The primary is already crowded, and a runoff later in the month is seen as a likely outcome. Axios also reports that Graham has an "uphill battle" ahead of her, citing the same reasons as the Post. "She's going to be closely linked [to Lindsey], so voters will base their decision on how they feel about him," says Scott English, a former chief of staff to former Gov. Mark Sanford. On that front, Lindsey Graham's hawkish stances have ticked off many within MAGA. Among the other contenders, GOP Reps. Ralph Norman and Russell Fry will enter the primary with established conservative records and major endorsements, and Sanford himself also is in.