Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), facing a runoff special election to succeed the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), has walked a fine line on supporting Israel during his nearly decade in Congress — maintaining strong rhetorical support for the Jewish state while voting against major aid packages and some antisemitism legislation.

Sources with Norman’s campaign and with the campaign of his opponent, Sen. Darline Graham (R-SC), told Jewish Insider that both camps are seeking the pro-Israel vote in the Aug. 25 runoff. Still, the two candidates have taken different approaches to the issue, which are now under the microscope as the race enters its final leg. 

A member of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus, Norman has developed a reputation on Capitol Hill as a committed fiscal hawk known for frequently opposing must-pass items like the debt ceiling increase or government spending packages because they did not address the national debt or include provisions to offset the spending. 

Norman has generally maintained a pro-Israel record since being elected to Congress in 2017. In the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel, Norman signed on to several resolutions and letters condemning the attacks and the subsequent anti-Israel protests on university campuses nationwide. 

But Norman also voted against two Israel aid packages in 2024 — he opposed the first bill in February for not containing offsets to cover the financial costs and another bill in April for being tied to Ukraine assistance, which he opposes. 

Norman defended both votes, arguing that neither were indicative of his commitment to the Jewish state and pointing to his support for the Israel aid package that the House passed in November 2023, which included offsets. (That bill stalled in the Senate.)

“There’s NO DISCUSSION about any spending reductions to pay for any of this, so we’re just supposed to borrow more and more money to pay for this aid?” Norman wrote in a blog post of his opposition to the Israel aid package without offsets. “It’s borderline criminal what we’re doing, and it’s sad that the United States is no longer able to help a critical ally because of our own abhorrent financial recklessness.”

Norman repeatedly criticized then-President Joe Biden for his waning support for Israel as the 2024 presidential election drew near, and urged the Trump administration to stand with the Jewish state in its campaign to eliminate Hamas from Gaza.

Norman called the White House’s Gaza peace plan, announced in October, “a step in the right direction and long overdue.” 

“We must continue to stand with Israel, ensure Hamas is fully dismantled, and never forget who the terrorists are in this conflict. This is a win for peace, for strength, and for our greatest ally in the Middle East,” he said.

He voted against the long-stalled Antisemitism Awareness Act (AAA) when it passed the House in May of 2024 and voiced his opposition to any new legislation on the issue of antisemitism the following spring. “We shouldn’t do anything further with antisemitism. I don’t know how you define it. It’s subjective,” Norman told Punchbowl News. 

While Norman was one of just five lawmakers to vote against the Never Again Education Act — a bill to further Holocaust-related programming and educational materials in middle and high schools — when it was passed by the House in 2020, he supported legislation in 2023 reauthorizing the law and extending the program through 2030. 

Representatives for Norman did not respond to JI’s request for comment on his opposition to those bills.

During the GOP debate in the special election primary, Norman pointed to his record of calling out the Iranian regime as a threat to the U.S. The House lawmaker praised the president’s decision to strike Iran, though he argued that the ongoing war “has gone on longer” than expected and said he would not vote to support U.S. troops on the ground.

“There are military generals now that are saying that if we’re going to really eliminate them, they’re gonna have to put boots on the ground. I don’t think the country wants that right now,” he said. “[Trump] will eventually, sooner rather than later, use whatever power from the air to take them out, and I think that’s the right course to take.” 

Norman has been endorsed in the runoff by Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), a pro-Israel champion in Congress. Graham, meanwhile, has the support of Trump and the Republican Jewish Coalition. Rep. Russell Fry (R-SC), who came in third in the special primary election, endorsed Graham in the runoff on Friday. 

Graham’s tenure in public office only began in mid-July, when her late brother’s sudden passing led to her appointment to serve out the rest of his term. The incumbent senator has begun cosponsoring legislation, including on supporting Israel and targeting Iran, in recent weeks in a continuation of her brother’s policy on the issues. 

Graham announced on Thursday that she was cosponsoring an additional four bills, all of which “strengthen the U.S.-Israel partnership, target the Iranian regime and confront antisemitism,” according to a readout from her office. 

All four bills are also bipartisan and bicameral: the U.S.-Israel FUTURES Act, establishing a cooperative initiative focused on defense technology R&D; the Iran Human Rights, Internet Freedom, and Accountability Act, aimed at disrupting the finances of the Iranian regime and its allies and expand internet access in Iran; the Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act, a bill targeting Iran’s oil exports to China and other countries; and the Jewish American Security Act, a proposal to address antisemitism across multiple sectors of American society being championed by the mainstream Jewish community. 

“I truly believe we have a moral and religious duty to stand with the Jewish people and the nation of Israel to guard against those who seek to destroy them,” Darline Graham told JI in a statement. “In dangerous times, it is crucial we strengthen ties with a friend and ally like Israel, not walk away from them.”

At the primary debate, Graham also voiced strong support for the Iran war. 

“I completely agree with President Trump on standing with Israel. They are an extremely important ally of the United States,” Graham said. “We cannot allow terrorists to build nuclear missiles because they’re going to want to kill Americans, that is just the sad truth. If they build the nuclear missiles, their goal is to come here and kill us, so the more we can fight them over there and prevent it over there, the better for the United States. I am all for peace through strength.”