Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) isn’t making an endorsement in South Carolina’s special Republican Senate contest to replace Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) — at least not “at the moment.”
Still, the GOP leader on Monday lauded interim Sen. Darline Graham Nordone (R-SC), who earlier that day revealed plans to run in the upcoming special primary to replace her late brother on the November ballot, as a “strong candidate.”
“I think she obviously carries on Lindsey’s legacy, but I think she’s a very accomplished person in her own right,” Thune told reporters. “She has a right, like anybody else, to get into that race.”
Graham Nordone, appointed by Gov. Henry McMaster (R-SC) last week following Graham’s sudden death from a heart issue, was thought to be a temporary replacement. She was a political confidant to her brother but had a long career in state disability services, particularly for the blind. Graham Nordone confirmed to Fox News’s Sean Hannity that she will seek a full six-year term that would begin in January 2027.
“I have made a decision,” Graham Nordone said in an interview clip released ahead of its full airing Monday night. “I’m in.”
Thune is the latest top Republican in Washington to offer encouraging remarks about her seeking a full term. President Donald Trump and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), who chairs the Senate GOP’s campaign arm, have offered similar public praise.
DARLINE GRAHAM NORDONE SAYS SHE WILL RUN FOR FULL TERM
She’s set to face at least a few other opponents in the Aug. 11 primary, including Reps. Ralph Norman (R-SC) and Russell Fry (R-SC).
“It sounds like there are a number who are moving forward with campaigns. It’s going to be a short campaign season,” Thune added. “My assumption is that the voters in South Carolina — Republican voters — will come to a conclusion about that and send the right person forward.”