Washington Examiner chief political correspondent Byron York said South Carolina’s Republican Senate primary is hard to predict, noting President Donald Trump‘s endorsement of Sen. Darline Graham Nordone (R-SC) may not carry the weight it once did.
“It’s all happened so quickly after the death of Senator Lindsey Graham, you really haven’t had a long race where you can kind of project where the candidates are,” York said on Fox Business’s Kudlow Monday.
York weighed in on the special election triggered to replace the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). His sister, Graham Nordone, was appointed to temporarily fill the seat and entered the Republican primary, along with other GOP contenders, including Reps. Ralph Norman (R-SC) and Russell Fry (R-SC), former Gov. Mark Sanford, and businessman Mark Lynch.
Trump has strongly backed Graham Nordone, endorsing her for the seat and holding a tele-rally with her ahead of Tuesday’s primary.
York acknowledged the strength of Trump’s support, but questioned whether it would be enough to determine the outcome.
“We do know that President Trump endorsed Darline Graham, and he’s holding a tele-rally for her tonight,” York said on Monday. “And he made a video in support of her, so he’s really pushing.”
York pointed to two recent examples in South Carolina that could complicate assumptions about Trump’s ability to deliver Republican voters, saying, “On the other hand, you know, the president endorsed in the South Carolina Republican governor’s primary, and it didn’t really work out for him.”
TRUMP-BACKED DARLINE GRAHAM NORDONE FACES TEST IN UNPREDICTABLE SOUTH CAROLINA PRIMARY
York also noted that Trump previously sought to persuade the Republican-controlled South Carolina legislature to redraw congressional districts, but lawmakers declined to do so. “I’m not sure how much value his endorsement has in this particular race,” York said.
The South Carolina primary election for the U.S. Senate is held Aug. 11.