Darlene Graham said Tuesday she is not being handed the seat after South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster appointed her. She made the comment as South Carolina held a special primary election to choose the Republican candidate to replace Lindsey Graham.
Speaking with Ryan Noble, she said, "I'm not being handed this seat." She added that she has to earn voters and plans to spend the next two weeks getting out to as many places as she can.
Ryan Noble interview
Her full answer tied the appointment to a direct campaign argument: "I don't see it that way, I'm not being handed this seat. I realize that I have to earn voters, so I'm working hard to do that. Like I said, I want to spend the next two weeks getting out to as many places as I can. You know, Lindsey was amazing, I will never fill his shoes. No one can ever fill his shoes, and I don't just expect it to be handed to me."
The exchange came after last month of criticism from MAGA personalities over her decision to run. President Donald Trump backed Graham, but conservatives argued she lacked the credentials or a history of involvement in right-wing causes, and her only political donation on record was to a South Carolina state senator that helped kill an abortion ban.
South Carolina special primary election
Turnout in the special primary election was expected to be low, drawing only the most politically engaged voters. None of the candidates in the special election are expected to get 50 percent of the vote, which makes a runoff election likely.
That puts Graham in a race where personal loyalty and turnout matter as much as name recognition. She also did not vote in the 2024 presidential primary or the 2016 general election, two details that critics have used to question her political record while she tries to make the case that the seat has to be earned.
Darlene Graham campaign push
Her next step is the one she laid out herself: two weeks of direct campaign work across as many places as she can reach. If no candidate clears 50 percent, the field moves toward a runoff, and her argument will have to hold with the voters who show up next.
