Politics

Senate GOP Fund Tossing Lindsey Graham’s Sister A $5,000,000 Lifeline In South Carolina Race

Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

The Senate Leadership Fund planned to pour $5 million into South Carolina to help Republican South Carolina Sen. Darline Graham, a source familiar with the move told the Daily Caller News Foundation Tuesday.

Graham is leading her opponent, Democratic South Carolina Senate nominee Annie Andrews, by just 2.4 points, raising concerns she could cost Republicans the seat. The Senate Leadership Fund, Senate Republicans’ main super political action committee (PAC), is spending the money as an “insurance policy” ahead of the Nov. 3 election, a source familiar confirmed to the DCNF after Axios was first to report on the spending.

The Senate Leadership Fund did not spend any money on Graham’s campaign beforehand, indicating that national Republicans have grown worried about her chances of keeping the seat.

Andrews raised roughly $10.45 million more than Graham, with the Republican incumbent raising roughly $347,000, according to the Federal Elections Commission (FEC). Andrews raised over $10.8 million as of June, according to the latest FEC records.

The 314 Action Fund, a pro-STEM PAC financed Andrews’ campaign with $3.6 million in campaign contributions, according to Axios. The PAC was founded to elect Democratic candidates with backgrounds in STEM, including Andrews, who is a licensed pediatrician.

Graham’s campaign did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.

The Trafalgar Group, a conservative-leaning pollster based out of Atlanta, Georgia, found Graham leading Andrews 43.4% to 42.3% in a September survey. An InsiderAdvantage poll from Sept. 10 found Graham leading by two points, 45.1% to 43.2%, while an Impact Research survey from mid-August found them tied at 41%. Graham led by 2.4 points, according to RealClearPolling.

Graham defeated Republican South Carolina Rep. Ralph Norman in the Aug. 25 primary runoff after receiving President Donald Trump’s endorsement. Republican South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed her to replace her late brother, former Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died on July 11.

The late senator supported a ground takeover of Kharg Island by U.S. troops, urged billions of dollars be sent to fund Ukraine’s war against Russia, repeatedly supported the war in Iraq and Afghanistan and maintained a strong relationship with Israeli leadership. He called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to be assassinated in March 2022.

Graham’s sister stumbled through a question about whether Taiwan and the South China Sea were national security issues for the U.S. during an Aug. 19 primary debate.

“Senator, are Taiwan and the South China Sea national security issues for the United States? If so, why?” Newsmax host Greta Van Susteren asked.

“I’m just going to be honest here. I’m not that informed on national security,” Graham said. “So … But I do support the military.”

Many South Carolina Republicans were caught off guard when Graham entered the race. South Carolina Freedom Conference Chairman Jordan Pace told the Daily Caller on August 11 that the party did not support her serving for a full term.

South Carolina has not had a Democratic senator since 2005 when former Democratic South Carolina Sen. Fritz Hollings left office. Republicans control the South Carolina state Legislature, consisting of an 89 to 35 majority in the state House of Representatives and 34 to 12 in the state Senate.

The top Republican super PAC paused its spending in North Carolina and launched a seven-figure ad campaign in Kansas, a traditionally red state where Republican Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall faces tough competition against Democratic Kansas Senate nominee Adam Hamilton. Kansas has not had a Democratic senator since the 1930s.

Trump-aligned super PACs spent 40% of their money in states and districts where Trump won by double digits in the 2024 election. In Texas, Republicans expected to spend between $150 million and $200 million to save Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton from losing to Democratic Texas Senate nominee James Talarico, who led Paxton by 2.8 points, according to RealClearPolling.