Lindsey Graham's sister wins. The War Party wins. We lose, again.
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Darline Graham won the Republican primary Tuesday and will likely win a full-term to fill her https://responsiblestatecraft.org/lindsey-graham-death-war/" target="_self">late brother Lindsey Graham’s U.S. Senate seat in the ruby red state of South Carolina in the upcoming November election.
According to the latest tallies Tuesday night, Graham, who was appointed to her brother’s seat after his death in July, https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/darline-graham-winner-south-carolina-gop-senate-primary-rcna593581" target="_blank">beat her opponent Rep. Ralph Norman, 53% to 46%.
It’s a curious turn of events in a modern era where there are very few displays of hereditary power, but she had the full backing of the Republican establishment and the fulsome https://www.foxnews.com/video/6403848352112" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">endorsement of President Donald Trump days before today’s primary runoff.
To be sure, her self-confessed lack of foreign policy experience or even knowledge won’t be a bad thing for Trump.
Graham has all but said she will follow her brother’s career-long support of a militarized U.S. foreign policy, which means she is likely to be no critic of Trump’s failing war in the Middle East.
A win for the War Party, but a loss for the rest of us.
Graham was given a chance to display her merits last Thursday when she https://x.com/RepAdamMorgan/status/2089861522092638476" target="_blank">was asked in a debate with Norman if Taiwan and the South China Sea were national security issues for the United States.
“I’m just going to be honest here.
I’m … not that informed on national security,” Graham replied. “But I do support the military."
Many thought this gaffe would sink her.
Not a chance.
This just wasn’t Norman’s time.
He has a https://x.com/jewishinsider/status/2088304172697370817" target="_blank">mixed foreign policy record, yet https://x.com/RalphNorman/status/2089870117119361392" target="_blank">campaigned on “peace through strength” and now-dated https://theconversation.com/iran-is-turning-into-the-sort-of-forever-war-that-donald-trump-promised-to-avoid-287899" target="_blank">MAGA “no more forever wars” sloganeering.
In the same debate Graham flubbed, he said of the Iran War, that “(Trump’s) going to have to tell the American people what it’s going to take if the Straits of Hormuz are still dominated by a country that’s supposed to be decimated.”
Despite https://norman.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3269" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">having voted more with Trump’s agenda than https://gopscorecard.limitedgov.org/lawmakers?state=US&year=2024&filter=SC" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">any other South Carolina Republican, Norman could not compete with the idea that Lindsey Graham’s sister somehow deserved the president’s endorsement more.
Don’t think her potential rubber stamp for the military didn’t have a lot to do with that.
Trump https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/trump-supporters-arent-sold-darline-graham-politics-desk-rcna594199" target="_blank">told reporters at the Graham rally four days ago that “she’s going to do what the military wants, and really what the president wants.”
What the “military wants”?
What the “president wants”?
Is that the role of a U.S. Senator representing South Carolina?
(Graham’s) candidacy has been bolstered by support from at least three political action committees, coordination with a national Republican Party group and donations from “large business executives”, while Norman has done more self-fundraising, https://www.thestate.com/news/politics-government/article316853237.html" target="_blank">The State newspaper in Columbia reported on August 19.
Some of Graham’s big backers include the PAC raising campaign funds for major aerospace manufacturer Boeing, the CEO of private equity firm Blackstone, the head of public policy for TikTok, and an executive at Palantir, one of the most influential defense and surveillance technology contractors in the world today.
Super PAC "Security is Strength", which was created for her brother a decade ago, pledged $900,000 for Graham https://x.com/securestrength/status/2080382561226801231" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">in July.
Palmetto Action https://www.thestate.com/news/politics-government/article316853237.html#storylink=cpy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">spent $1.26 million targeting Norman, according to Federal Election Commission records.
There was something https://x.com/RalphNormanFan/status/2089872072935637089" target="_blank">ironic in the Security is Strength support of Graham after she admitted national security wasn’t her strength.
Still this Columbia--based https://www.fitsnews.com/2026/07/23/s-c-succession-neocon-pac-backs-lindsey-grahams-sister-for-u-s-senate/" target="_blank">“neocon PAC”, which says it “is dedicated to promoting a strong national defense, conservative judicial philosophy, and the protection of traditional values,” was created https://www.politico.com/story/2015/07/lindsey-graham-super-pac-security-is-strength-fundraising-2016-120812" target="_blank">in 2015 to support Lindsey Graham's 2016 Republican presidential primary run — the https://www.politico.com/story/2015/04/lindsey-graham-rand-paul-2016-116837" target="_blank">primary purpose of which was to kill any https://www.businessinsider.com/why-rand-paul-might-be-the-gop-frontrunner-2015-1" target="_blank">potential momentum for fellow candidate and restraint advocate, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY).
The late Graham https://theintercept.com/2015/07/30/senator-lindsey-grahams-pro-war-super-pac-bankrolled-defense-contractors/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">was clear a decade ago about who was bankrolling this PAC. “If I were a defense contractor, I’d be big time for Lindsey Graham, because I’ve been forward-leaning on rebuilding our military," he said at the time.
“It’s not surprising, then, that the same warmongers who subsidized Graham are now subsidizing his sister — fully aware of her unwavering allegiance to Trump’s escalating war in Iran,” https://www.fitsnews.com/2026/07/23/s-c-succession-neocon-pac-backs-lindsey-grahams-sister-for-u-s-senate/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">wrote Will Folks of South Carolina-based https://x.com/fitsnews" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">FITS News in July.
Having an unquestioning Iran war supporter in Lindsey Graham’s seat certainly seems important to Sean Hannity, who https://www.foxnews.com/video/6403739282112" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">promptly had Darline Graham on his Fox News program the night after her disastrous debate gaffe.
“I bet based on all your time with your brother, that you know probably everything about the Middle East,” Hannity said to her, as if she received this knowledge through osmosis.
“Absolutely,” she replied. “I know national security is important.
We have a wonderful commander in chief.”
“I know that we need to stand with the Israel,” Graham also https://x.com/amconmag/status/2090251132492714131" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">exclaimed (emphasis added).
Next to Graham on screen was a "Darline's Graham's Policy Positions" scroll letting Fox News viewers know the totality of her ostensibly conservative positions.
Graham https://x.com/Acyn/status/2090247538859499654" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">attempted to clarify and divert, “I tripped up on one question last night, regarding Taiwan.
I don't speak politician.
I was just honest.
Of course, Taiwan is our friend.”
“But I think people in South Carolina are more worried about boys in girls sports,” she went on.
On Monday, Hannity https://x.com/Acyn/status/2092060033702093230" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">made clear that he was supporting Graham and also interviewed South Carolina’s other senator, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) to explain why he, too, was supporting her.
The reliably hawkish Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) and https://x.com/marklevinshow/status/2088407957826314720" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">neocon pundit Mark Levin had https://x.com/TomCottonAR/status/2079291102356476037" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">already endorsed Graham.
“What I really want you to do is pretend, please, that I’m on the ballot,” Donald Trump https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/24/us/politics/trump-graham-south-carolina-endorsement.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">told South Carolina voters at the Darline Graham rally on Friday.
“Just come and vote.
It’s so important,” Trump pleaded.
No doubt for the president and others invested in America’s current and future wars, it was important to vote for the sister of Lindsey Graham.
South Carolina did.