An anti-abortion group announced its endorsement of interim Sen. Darline Graham Nordone (R-SC), who has faced accusations of being weak on pro-life policy, just one day after a national anti-abortion group endorsed Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) in the closely watched South Carolina Senate primary.
The Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America Candidate Fund, a political action committee that backs candidates who advocate for anti-abortion policy, endorsed Graham Nordone on Tuesday, saying she is “cut from the same cloth” as her late brother, whom she is looking to replace. The organization’s president, Marjorie Dannenfelser, attended Sen. Lindsey Graham’s funeral last month.
“Her pro-life values are passionate and deeply rooted in principle,” Dannenfelser said of Graham Nordone. “She’s committed to justice and mercy for unborn children and justice and mercy for their moms. She believes our nation must be one that lives up to the promises of our founding documents and believes that we must be a pro-life nation.”
Dannenfelser pointed to Massachusetts recently approving legislation that allows for elective abortion through all weeks of pregnancy based upon the professional judgment of a medical doctor performing the abortion as a reason for backing Graham Nordone, who she said will be a fighter to take on states with such policies.
“Only eight countries in the world have such a brutal and extreme policy. They include China and Vietnam, among others. The Democrats will stop at nothing to force every single state in our nation to have the same brutal policy and make taxpayers fund it. That’s why the stakes of this year’s election are so high,” Dannenfesler said. “Darline lives by the Graham rule. Life is a matter of human rights, not geography. Where you live should never determine whether you live.”
The endorsement comes just one day after Students for Life Action, an anti-abortion group with chapters across the United States, announced its support for Norman. SFLA specifically noted that it chose to endorse Norman over Graham Nordone because the latter “has been silent on abortion over the years.”
Abortion has been a pressure point for Graham Nordone, with some questioning her stance on the topic due to her previous donation to former Republican state Sen. Katrina Shealy’s 2023 campaign after she blocked anti-abortion legislation in the state. SFLA noted the donation in its endorsement of Norman.
ANTI-ABORTION GROUP BACKS NORMAN OVER GRAHAM NORDONE IN SOUTH CAROLINA SENATE RACE
When asked about her relationship with Shealy on Monday following the SFLA snub, Graham Nordone said she had supported the former state senator due to her work with the disabled community, not because of her stance on abortion. Graham Nordone said she is “definitely pro-life” and denied having a close friendship with Shealy.
Graham Nordone has also been endorsed by President Donald Trump and Rep. Russell Fry (R-SC), a former rival who placed third in the special Republican primary, as well as a slate of Senate Republicans.