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Trump Rallies for Graham in South Carolina
· Confirmed
In Short: President Trump rallied for Republican candidate Darline Graham in South Carolina, despite a close race against Democrat Annie Andrews.
President Donald Trump rallied for Republican candidate Darline Graham in South Carolina on Wednesday, aiming to energize conservative voters ahead of the November election. The event took place at Clemson University’s T, where more than a dozen protesters were removed by security and local law enforcement, an action Trump praised as 'beautiful to watch.'
Graham, who was appointed to the Senate following her brother's death, is facing a competitive race against Democrat nominee Annie Andrews. According to an October survey from Trafalgar Group, a Republican polling firm, Graham leads by just three percentage points, 49 percent to 46 percent.
The race has become unexpectedly tight, with Graham finishing second in Horry County, home to Myrtle Beach, in a summer special primary, garnering 35 percent of the vote compared to 42 percent for GOP Rep. Russell Fry. However, after Trump rallied there and Fry endorsed Graham, she won 73 percent of the vote in the runoff.
During the rally, Trump portrayed Andrews as an extremist, criticizing her support for transgender rights and gun-control measures. He argued that she was out of step with South Carolina voters and emphasized that Graham would preserve conservative policies in the state by opposing progressive social policies and supporting his broader agenda in Washington.
Graham highlighted her proudest accomplishment, the Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which cleared the Senate 86-11 on August 7 and the House 262-159 on September 16. She described the legislation as giving the president tools to end the war through economic sanctions if he so chooses.
Trump urged the audience to pretend he was on the ballot, emphasizing the necessity of high Republican turnout to protect the party’s narrow margins in Congress. He also called for early voting to secure Graham’s full term in the United States Senate.
Despite the disruptions, Trump maintained his focus on energizing conservative voters in the Upstate, urging them to cast their ballots early and secure Graham’s full term in the Senate. He praised Graham for her steadfast conservative stance and her support for his broader agenda.
The rally comes as Republicans pour millions into the race, with a GOP official calling it 'political malpractice' that they are even having to spend money in the state. The official noted that there are voters who are voting third party or elsewhere, and there doesn’t seem to be as much cohesion amongst the Republican electorate around Graham.
Background
President Trump signed the Lindsey Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which was designed to impose significant sanctions and tariffs on Russia, but he also waived many of its provisions.
President Trump held his third rally in Georgia this year on Friday, aiming to energize voters ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.
What's confirmed
- Graham, who was appointed to the Senate following her brother's death, is facing a competitive race against Democrat nominee Annie Andrews. According to an October survey from Trafalgar Group, a Republican polling firm, Graham leads by just three percentage points, 49 percent to 46 percent.
- The race has become unexpectedly tight, with Graham finishing second in Horry County, home to Myrtle Beach, in a summer special primary, garnering 35 percent of the vote compared to 42 percent for GOP Rep. Russell Fry. However, after Trump rallied there and Fry endorsed Graham, she won 73 percent of the vote in the runoff.
- During the rally, Trump portrayed Andrews as an extremist, criticizing her support for transgender rights and gun-control measures. He argued that she was out of step with South Carolina voters and emphasized that Graham would preserve conservative policies in the state by opposing progressive social policies and supporting his broader agenda in Washington.
- Graham highlighted her proudest accomplishment, the Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which cleared the Senate 86-11 on August 7 and the House 262-159 on September 16. She described the legislation as giving the president tools to end the war through economic sanctions if he so chooses.
- Trump urged the audience to pretend he was on the ballot, emphasizing the necessity of high Republican turnout to protect the party’s narrow margins in Congress. He also called for early voting to secure Graham’s full term in the United States Senate.
- Despite the disruptions, Trump maintained his focus on energizing conservative voters in the Upstate, urging them to cast their ballots early and secure Graham’s full term in the Senate. He praised Graham for her steadfast conservative stance and her support for his broader agenda.
- The rally comes as Republicans pour millions into the race, with a GOP official calling it 'political malpractice' that they are even having to spend money in the state. The official noted that there are voters who are voting third party or elsewhere, and there doesn’t seem to be as much cohesion amongst the Republican electorate around Graham.
What's still developing
- "Numerous people, who requested that sanctions be immediately imposed on Russia, have called to apologize to President Trump in that they didn’t know that he was negotiating the release of Stephen Hubbard, a truly big and important deal for the U.S. If sanctions would have been placed, certainly those negotiations would have come to a complete and total halt," the post read.
- Graham joined Trump onstage toward the conclusion of the event, praising the Trump administration’s policy platform and declaring to the cheering audience that the Palmetto State remains firm “Trump country”.
- Graham, who was appointed by Governor Henry McMaster (R-S.C.) to fill the seat following the death of her brother, long-serving U.S.
- Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at a litmus test on domestic support for Russia ’s war, massive pro-government rallies in Iran, and calls for Irish reunification.
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- Trump rallies in Clemson on Wednesday as Republicans pour millions into a seat they once considered safe, days after he undercut Graham’s signature achievement.
- 18, she said she was “not that informed on national security,” setting off a frenzied effort to pick up the pieces.
- On Tuesday, the Cook Political Report shifted the race from “likely Republican” to “lean Republican.” It was the outlet’s second downgrade of Republicans’ grip on the seat in recent weeks, and comes as recent polls show a close contest.
- “Personally, I would choose to keep the pressure on Russia … because I don’t trust Putin, and I don’t trust Russia,” Graham said.