Graham’s victory means that Trump holds a near-perfect record with his Senate primary endorsements during his political career, even as some of his gubernatorial and House picks have fallen short this year
Megan Varner/ Getty Images
Sen. Darline Graham (R-SC) speaks during a campaign event following her win, at the Willoughby, Humphrey & D'Antonio Law Firm on August 25, 2026 in Columbia, South Carolina.
Add JewishInsider on GoogleBoosted by an endorsement from President Donald Trump and a preelection rally from the state’s leading Republican figures, Sen. Darline Graham (R-SC) survived a challenge from Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) to win the GOP nomination for her late brother’s Senate seat.
“I continue to miss Lindsey every day, and there is still a big hole in my heart, but I know he’s looking down, very proud,” Graham said in her victory speech Tuesday night.
Graham prevailed narrowly (52%-48%) despite facing serious questions about her experience and readiness for a full term in the Senate during the compressed campaign. She expressed ignorance about foreign policy in the race’s lone debate when asked about her thoughts about Taiwan’s security. She had also said she wouldn’t be as focused on foreign policy as her brother, whose hawkish national security record defined his political legacy.
Norman, a hard-line fiscal conservative, proved to be a lackluster opponent, winning in his home base in northwestern South Carolina but losing across the rest of the state. He alienated Republican leaders by initially opposing Trump’s presidential campaign in 2024 (he was one of Nikki Haley’s leading endorsees) and holding out support of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) during the 2023 House GOP leadership fight.
Norman wasn’t able to offer a generational contrast, either — at 73, he would have been one of the oldest freshman senators in recent memory. He was badly outspent in the race by Graham and allied groups, including Trump’s well-financed super PAC, which hasn’t gotten involved in many races this cycle.
“His policies are good, I never understood why he got in this race … it is what it is. I’ll accept it,” Norman said in his concession speech of the president’s involvement.
Graham’s victory means that Trump holds a near-perfect record with his Senate primary endorsements during his political career, even as some of his gubernatorial and House picks have fallen short this year. Trump’s decision to spend valuable political capital — both in time and money — clearly played a pivotal role in the competitive runoff.
Graham herself offered a nod to Trump’s influence, saying in her election night speech, “South Carolina is truly Trump country.”
In November, Graham will face pediatrician Annie Andrews, a Democrat who has been a strong fundraiser, especially given the challenges the party faces in winning South Carolina, a solidly conservative state that backed Trump by 18 points in the 2024 presidential election.
If Darline Graham falls short on Tuesday, it could be an indication that a Trump endorsement is no longer the automatic ticket to victory
SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images
President Donald Trump congratulates Sen. Darline Graham after she spoke during a campaign rally at Myrtle Beach Convention Center in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on August 21, 2026.
Today’s special election GOP runoff for Senate in South Carolina between appointed Sen. Darline Graham and five-term Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) will be a clear test over just how much juice President Donald Trump’s endorsement carries within the Republican Party, at a time when his overall political standing has been on the decline.
Graham has struggled through the shortened campaign to fill the seat of her late brother, dodging the media spotlight (unlike her brother) and sticking to generic talking points in talking about the issues. She faced blowback after admitting she didn’t know enough about foreign policy to answer a debate question about Taiwan — underscoring how much of a novice she is on an issue that defined Lindsey Graham’s legacy.
But Trump has been a loyal backer, holding a rally last Friday for her campaign, which featured appearances from the state’s Republican leadership, including Gov. Henry McMaster and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), who is also the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
Norman also hardly fits the profile of the up-and-coming challenger. He’s 73 and would be one of the oldest freshman senators in recent memory. And for more-moderate Republicans, his record of antagonism towards House Republican leadership and support for declaring martial law in the days leading up to President Joe Biden’s 2021 inauguration make him a deeply flawed choice.
For national security hawks, Norman’s votes against several Israel aid packages and opposition to Ukraine assistance are also some notable red flags that make Darline Graham the candidate more aligned with her brother’s worldview.
Trump’s endorsement record has been mixed this year, initially backing the losing gubernatorial candidate (Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette) in South Carolina — while endorsing unsuccessful candidates for governor in Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota and Wyoming. All told, he’s backed 10 unsuccessful candidates in primaries this cycle. But the president’s record in Senate races this year is still perfect, having successfully backed insurgent challengers to Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and John Cornyn (R-TX).
In fact, only three of Trump’s Senate endorsees throughout his political career have lost in primaries (Alabama GOP Sen. Luther Strange in 2017; West Virginia Senate candidate Evan Jenkins in 2018; Utah Senate candidate Trent Staggs in 2024).
Graham is hoping to avoid joining that club, and despite her flubs, she’s still got a strong chance of prevailing. She won the first round of balloting with 33% of the vote — eight points ahead of Norman — and finished a respectable second place in the northeastern corner of the state that makes up Rep. Russell Fry’s (R-SC) home base. (Fry endorsed Graham’s candidacy after finishing in third place in the primary.)
But if Graham falls short, it would not just be a sign that South Carolina voters were wary of her policy inexperience. It would be an indication that the Trump endorsement, while still valuable in Republican primaries, isn’t the automatic ticket to victory that it was for so long.
Plus, Rial pain for Tehran
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
President Donald Trump shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago club on December 29, 2025 in Palm Beach, Florida.
Good Thursday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we look at how Sen. Darline Graham’s shaky debate performance earlier this week is prompting questions in the GOP about her electability, do a deep dive into efforts by the Democratic Socialists of America to win local and state-level races and report on Rep. Ryan Zinke’s advertised participation in an event hosted by the Turkey-linked group involved in the Eric Adams bribery scandal. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Marc Brown, Lauren Sherman and Eliya Cohen.
Curated by JI Executive Editor Melissa Weiss and Israel Editor Tamara Zieve, with assists from Danielle Cohen-Kanik and Marc Rod.
Today’s Agenda
We’re monitoring the situation in the Middle East following President Donald Trump’s announcement yesterday that the U.S. was launching a campaign of “economic warfare and isolation on an unprecedented scale” targeting Iran. The president called the move the “MOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER TAKEN AGAINST ANY COUNTRY,” and warned that efforts to assist Tehran would be met with “economic consequences.” Read more here.
In Massachusetts, Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) will face off in the last debate before the Sept. 1 Senate primary. A WCVB/University of Massachusetts Amherst poll released earlier this week showed Markey with a significant lead over Moulton in the race.
One Thing To Know
By Matthew Shea
As Israel and the Trump administration negotiate the next U.S.-Israel memorandum of understanding, a new report from the Jewish Institute for National Security of America demonstrates how even among hawkish experts in Washington, the question is increasingly not how to preserve the traditional military aid model, but what should replace it.
The report, titled “Shifting the Center of Gravity: Transforming the U.S.-Israel Security Partnership,” recommends that the two countries sign one final 10-year MOU — a sea change for Israel supporters who previously wouldn’t have dreamt to advocate for the end of these kinds of agreements between Jerusalem and Washington, though they largely hope for it to be replaced with cooperative and enduring programs.
The report comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has himself championed the eventual end of direct U.S. aid to Israel and as elements of both parties become resistant to defense spending overseas, a new reality that is forcing a reassessment of how Washington can sustain its commitment to Israel without relying on the traditional aid model.
The Big Reads
palmetto state politics
Sen. Darline Graham’s (R-SC) stumbling performance at the final GOP primary debate on Tuesday has prompted questions about her prospects in next week’s runoff against Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs reports. “The debate seems fairly consequential for a number of reasons,” said GOP campaign veteran Colin Reed. He predicted that Graham’s inability to sound articulate on foreign policy — all but taking a pass on a consequential national security question — was likely to have an impact on the outcome of the race because of the importance of national security issues to South Carolina’s “heavy military presence and large veteran community.”
GOING LOCAL
Even as attention has focused on the Democratic Socialists of America’s victories in Senate and House primaries, many of the group’s more overlooked victories have happened at the state legislative level, where the DSA members are poised to wield significant power if they win, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. A new study by the Brookings Institution, released Wednesday, found that of the 104 state legislative candidates endorsed by national or local DSA chapters in 2026, 76 have won their primaries or advanced to the general election without a primary. At the local level, another 64 of the 99 DSA-endorsed candidates are moving on to the general election.
COLD TURKEY
A Turkish-tied organization that launched in 2023 with an alleged straw-donor fundraiser for former New York City Mayor Eric Adams has spent recent weeks selling tickets for a Sept. 20 gathering listing Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT) as a “featured speaker” — even as Zinke’s office insists he’s not attending the event, Jewish Insider’s Will Bredderman reports. The CEO Club New York and Turkish-American Business Association have posted materials online and created a listing on Eventbrite advertising the “World Business Summit New York & Award Ceremony 2026” next month, with the name and photo of the retiring Montana congressman, who served as secretary of the interior during the first Trump administration, prominently displayed.
The Rundown
EAST BAY SHOWDOWN
CLOSE TO HOME
moving for mike
On Our Radar
● The Live Briefing. Word on the street, clips, podcasts and quick updates — the items we’re tracking all day in our Live Briefing on the app (on Apple and Android) and website.
The U.S. has reportedly quietly established in recent weeks a shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz that has allowed between 15-20 tankers to transit through the waterway nightly, allowing some 10 million barrels of oil to move out of the region each day…
In an interview with The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack doubled down on his criticism of Israeli strikes on a Syrian air base earlier in the week, which Israel said had been prompted by Turkish involvement at the base…
Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani met on Wednesday in Doha with Hamas leaders including Khalil Al Hayya; Al Thani praised the terror group for accepting the Board of Peace’s disarmament road map, which analysts told JI Hamas likely has no intention of abiding by, and called on the international community to “pressure Israel to fulfill its obligations”…
Reps. Greg Meeks (D-NY) and Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA) pressed Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick over his decision to loosen export controls on the United Arab Emirates, arguing he had failed to provide “justification or evidence that proliferation or diversion risk had been mitigated” and questioning whether the moves were driven by political or financial interests…
U.S.-based missile manufacturer Castelion closed a more than $1 billion round of funding co-led by Carlyle, JPMorgan Chase and Andreessen Horowitz to boost production of hypersonic missiles…
Fortune looks at ServiceNow’s acquisition of Yevgeny Dibrov’s Armis earlier this year, as the company — which was bought from Dibrov and cofounder, Nadir Izrael, for nearly $8 billion — becomes a core component of ServiceNow’s pushback against the AI-driven “SaaSpocalypse”…
The New York State Department of Financial Services issued a notice warning Holocaust survivors and their families about potential fraud by an organization calling itself the “Jewish Holocaust Claims Center” that is contacting such individuals about their eligibility for compensation…
Author and illustrator Marc Brown, the creator of the “Arthur” series, sold his Martha’s Vineyard home for $6.4 million…
The New York man accused of assaulting two people at Manhattan’s Central Synagogue last week is facing federal hate crimes after initially being charged with state-level hate crimes related to the incident…
L.A. City Councilmember Nithya Raman’s mayoral campaign confirmed plans to work with Fight Agency, as the consulting firm faces criticism from elements of the Democratic Party over its work with former Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, who dropped his bid following a rape allegation made by a former romantic partner…
Vanity Fair spotlights Puck’s Lauren Sherman, the lead author of the online publication’s “Line Sheet” newsletter, described as “one of the most influential — and polarizing — figures in fashion media”…
U.K. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said London was preparing targeted sanctions against Israelis engaged in “illegal settlement expansion,” and summoned Israel’s chargé d’affaires in the country over the issue…
The IDF said it was opening an investigation into the death of 5-year-old Hind Rajab in Gaza in January 2024 after finding that Israeli troops had fired at her family’s vehicle as it was traveling opposite the direction of an evacuation route; the IDF had previously denied responsibility for the incident, which drew global attention and inspired an Oscar-nominated film titled “The Voice of Hind Rajab”…
Australia summoned Israel’s ambassador in Canberra following the IDF’s announcement that it would not move forward with criminal proceedings regarding a 2024 IDF strike in Gaza in which seven World Central Kitchen workers, including an Australian citizen, were killed…
The Dubai-based DP World is moving forward with an $800 million plan to redevelop the Syrian port of Tartous on the Mediterranean…
Former Israeli hostage Eliya Cohen married his longtime girlfriend, Ziv Abud, on Wednesday night; the couple, who attended the Nova music festival along with Abud’s nephew and his girlfriend, survived a siege on the bomb shelter in which they were hiding during the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks before Cohen was taken captive and held for more than 500 days…
Worthy Reads
Find more Worthy Reads in our Live Briefing via our app (on Apple and Android) and website.
Iran’s Best Friends: In The Washington Post, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Bradley Bowman and Cameron McMillan call on the U.S. to address continued Russian and Chinese support for Iran. “Perhaps most startlingly, Russia reportedly provided Iran with satellite imagery and other forms of intelligence to enable Iranian attacks on American military positions in the region, likely improving Tehran’s ability to target U.S. forces and high-value assets — such as radars and command-and-control sites — with drones and ballistic missiles. … Beijing has long provided Tehran with dual-use support, meaning items that can be used for civilian and military purposes. This is perhaps most evident in Iran’s ballistic missile program.” [WashPost]
Village People: In The Wall Street Journal, David Cohen, the CEO of Algemeiner, reflects on the communal response to the recent death of his brother, Jonathan. “The people filling the mourning house weren’t merely responding to Jonathan’s death. They were responding to Jonathan’s life. A few weeks later, my wife put it succinctly: ‘To have a village, you have to be a villager.’ We talk about the disappearance of community. Americans report loneliness despite technology that lets us reach anyone, anywhere, instantly. … Perhaps we have the equation backward. A village isn’t something we find when we need one. It’s something we build long before that.” [WSJ]
Picture of the Day
The IDF’s chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, visited Israeli troops in Syria on Wednesday, days after an Israeli strike targeted an air base in northern Syria meant to deter Turkish troops from deploying in the area. Credit: IDF
Birthdays
Mark Levin, film director, television producer and screenwriter, turns 58
Phoebe Bryan, Laguna Hills, Calif., resident
Connie Chung, news anchor and reporter for ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and MSNBC, turns 80
Larry Kudlow, director of the National Economic Council during the Trump 45 administration, now a commentator for Fox Business, turns 79
Lana Gordon, former Kansas secretary of labor, turns 76
Steven Klinghoffer, immediate past chair of the Golda Och Academy in West Orange, N.J.
Sam Katz, mayor of Winnipeg, Manitoba, from 2004 to 2014 and the owner of minor league baseball’s Winnipeg Goldeyes, turns 75
Jay Knopf, managing director of equity derivatives at Rice Financial Products
Bradley Schneider, U.S. representative (D-IL), turns 65
Suzanne Grant, Wilmington, Del., resident and former treasurer of the board of the Jewish Federations of North America
Michael Froman, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, he was the U.S. trade representative during the Obama administration, turns 64
Steve Daines, U.S. senator (R-MT), turns 64
Patrick Drahi, founder and controlling shareholder of the Altice Group, he acquired Sotheby’s during 2019, turns 63
Etgar Keret, Israeli writer known for his short stories and graphic novels, turns 59
Matthew Gould, British ambassador to Israel from 2010 to 2015, the first Jewish U.K. ambassador to be posted to Tel Aviv, and former CEO of the Zoological Society of London, turns 55
Asher Fentahun Seyoum, Ethiopian-born, former member of the Knesset for Kulanu, turns 55
Ari Goldberg, chief communications officer at Nova Ukraine
Abigail Michelson Porth, executive director of Lisa Stone Pritzker’s LSP Family Foundation
Karen Brunwasser, co-CEO and one of the founders of the Jerusalem Season of Culture, a summer music festival that showcases Jerusalem
Rachel Fish, co-founder of Boundless Israel
Elhanan Miller, Israeli teacher and writer, he is the founder of People of the Book focused on communicating about the Jewish faith with the Arab world, turns 45
David Adelman, partner in the Iowa office of Cornerstone Government Affairs and foundation president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines
Meghan Ory, Canadian television and film actor, turns 44
Josh Flagg, real estate agent, author and television personality as an original cast member on the show “Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles,” Josh Flagg, turns 41
Simon Shnapir, ice skating professional at The Skating Club of Boston, turns 39
Gianmarco Soresi, stand-up comedian, actor, podcaster and internet personality, turns 38
Roy Ziv, Canadian guitarist, YouTuber, producer and music teacher, turns 35
Sella Sharlin, triathlete and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Israel 2019, turns 30
GOP campaign veteran Colin Reed called Graham’s debate performance a ‘seismic moment in an otherwise sleepy race’
Peter Zay/Anadolu via Getty Images
Sen. Darline Graham (R-SC) and Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) participate in a televised debate ahead of the Republican primary runoff in Newberry S.C., on August 18, 2026.
Sen. Darline Graham’s (R-SC) stumbling performance at the final GOP primary debate on Tuesday has prompted questions among Republicans in Washington about her prospects in next week’s runoff against Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC).
Graham’s debate performance has been widely panned for her response to a question about Taiwan and the South China Sea, during which she admitted that she is “not that informed on national security.” The moment prompted national Republican operatives to question her qualifications to replace her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and led to an avalanche of attacks from critics about her lack of policy experience.
Senior Republicans who have been involved in the race privately described Graham’s foreign policy flub as a pivotal moment that could cost her the nomination.
“It was always going to be a lot harder than she was told when she got into this, but I thought she could win before the debate. Now, I think she’s done for,” a senior GOP campaign official involved with the race told JI. “This loss is going to be an unfortunate embarrassment, and the way this played out could be somewhat of a stain on Lindsey’s legacy even though he had nothing to do with it.”
A spokesperson for Graham’s campaign declined to comment about her debate performance. Graham defended her answer while speaking to reporters in the spin room following the debate, arguing that, “The people of South Carolina, they’re worried about their pocketbooks more than they’re worried about the South China Sea, quite honestly.”
Veteran Republican strategists who have been involved in high-profile Senate races called Graham’s performance one of those rare moments that could change the trajectory of the race.
“The debate seems fairly consequential for a number of reasons,” Colin Reed, a founding partner of South & Hill Strategies and a GOP campaign veteran, told Jewish Insider. “To me, it seems like a fairly seismic moment in an otherwise sleepy race.”
Reed predicted that Graham’s inability to sound articulate on foreign policy — all but taking a pass on a consequential national security question — was likely to have an impact on the outcome of the race because of the importance of national security issues to South Carolina’s “heavy military presence and large veteran community.”
He added that her comments are already drawing comparisons to “the towering figure her brother was on the matter of foreign affairs” and the fact that the U.S. “happens to be engaged in multiple conflicts, or at least one conflict overseas with Iran, right now.”
“This is a late-summer primary and runoff, and only the most engaged audiences turn out,” Reed said. “Those types of audiences are the ones who were likely paying attention or discussing the debate.”
He argued that Graham’s lack of political experience makes her a “blank canvas” to voters and that, combined with the special election to replace her late brother on the ballot as the GOP nominee being truncated despite Republican primary voters being “wary of coronations,” the South Carolina senator had already been in a vulnerable political position prior to the debate.
Should Graham lose to Norman, it would mark the first time this cycle that a GOP candidate endorsed by President Donald Trump in a Senate race has lost their primary contest.
The president will hold a campaign rally for Graham in Myrtle Beach on Friday, even as he has scaled back his campaign appearances in recent months. Republicans in Washington expressed skepticism that the rally would significantly alter the outcome of this race, with two sources predicting that most of the attendees were only going to see the president speak. (For his part, Lindsey Graham was frequently booed and heckled when appearing at Trump rallies through the years.)
Norman said in a statement following the debate that South Carolina deserves to have a senator with “know-how” on foreign policy matters.
“Whether it’s spy balloons flying overhead or buying up land near South Carolina military bases, China continues to prove that it is a threat to the United States,” the House lawmaker told Politico.
Republican senators were told that Graham was not interested in seeking a full term when she agreed to the appointment in the immediate aftermath of her brother’s unexpected death last month. Graham said in a pre-debate interview on Monday that she “didn’t even realize I’d be asked to fill the seat temporarily” and did not accept the appointment last month with the idea of running for a full term. She instead credited the president with convincing her to run during an Oval Office meeting in her first week as senator.
Graham’s surprise decision to run, which two sources told JI came at the urging of Trump and several of Lindsey Graham’s campaign consultants, was met with apprehension in Washington. GOP circles. After Graham launched her campaign, Republican senators and strategists skeptical of her chances of winning began quietly voicing concern to one another about her lack of voting record or political background, the fact that she lacked a policy platform and the optics of sending a grieving sister out on the campaign trail. They also took note of how competitively Norman, Graham’s opponent in next week’s runoff election, was polling in the race.
One senior Senate GOP operative put it bluntly: “If we’re going to do a coronation, we need to be able to do a coronation. If we can’t get our s**t together, then we shouldn’t keep trying.”
Graham was cautioned by several Republicans, including two senators, that she would be setting herself up for a contentious election fight if she got in the race, according to two sources familiar with the matter. She was told by several of her brother’s campaign consultants, however, that while the contest would be challenging, she was likely to win with the president’s endorsement.
Graham prevailed in the first round of the primary election earlier this month, but only tallied 33% of the vote, far short of the majority necessary to avoid a runoff. She got a campaign boost after winning the endorsement of one leading rival, Rep. Russell Fry (R-SC), but her debate stumble only underscored her biggest vulnerability: lack of experience.
“The debate was challenging to watch. Her performance was very bad. We all empathize with her because of the circumstances she’s under, but that makes it all the more disturbing that folks who claim to love Lindsey would get in her ear and tell her she should run,” the Senate Republican campaign source said.
The winner of the Republican runoff next Tuesday will face Democrat Annie Andrews in the November election. Andrews, a pediatrician, is a decided underdog running in a solidly Republican state, but has been a strong fundraiser, bringing in over $10 million during the campaign cycle.
Plus, Darline Graham says natsec 'not my thing'
Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images
Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) speaks at a press conference on Capitol Hill on Sept. 8, 2025.
Good Wednesday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we break down the results of yesterday’s primaries in Florida, and talk to foreign policy officials wary of the Trump administration’s Gaza diplomacy. We report on Sen. Darline Graham’s admission during last night’s South Carolina Senate debate that national security was “not my thing,” and cover a new report from the Anti-Defamation League and the Academic Engagement Network about anti-Israel activists’ efforts to exert control over higher education unions. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Ehren Stenzler, Jeremy Moss and Yossi Cohen.
Curated by JI Executive Editor Melissa Weiss, with an assist from Danielle Cohen-Kanik.
Today’s Agenda
We’re keeping an eye on the remaining races to be called in yesterday’s primaries in Florida and special election runoff in California’s 14th Congressional District, where state Sen. Aisha Wahab maintains a 1,300-vote lead over Melissa Hernandez with 62% of precincts reporting.
A number of the Florida races were called shortly after polls closed, with Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) and Randy Fine (R-FL) fending off challengers from the more extreme wings of their respective parties. More below.
One Thing To Know
Florida Democrats and Republicans fended off extreme challengers against pro-Israel incumbents in Tuesday night’s primaries, indicating that the state’s older, moderate and notably Jewish electorate was uniquely inhospitable towards the anti-Israel left and the antisemitic right.
Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) handily defeated socialist challenger Oliver Larkin by nearly a 2-to-1 margin (64-36%), while Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) easily prevailed in a newly drawn district against a crowded field of challengers. Elijah Manley — the candidate running against Wasserman Schultz on the Democratic Socialists of America, anti-Israel platform — lagged in third place, with just 13% of the vote.
On the Republican side, Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) dominated over a neo-Nazi podcaster who made hatred of Jews the central message of his campaign. Fine won renomination with 57% of the vote, while the antisemitic Dan Bilzerian tallied 17% of the GOP vote. And in the governor’s race, James Fishback, who used racist and antisemitic messages as part of his campaign, lagged well behind the Trump-endorsed winner, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), finishing in third place with just 10% of the vote.
The Big Reads
DISARMAMENT DOUBTS
A diplomatic push by Jared Kushner to revive the stalled Gaza peace plan was met with widespread skepticism from Middle East analysts, who warned that the envoy’s timeline for Hamas disarmament is unrealistic, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Shea reports. “What Hamas wants is what Hezbollah has had in Lebanon: someone else runs schools and collects garbage, while they remain in charge behind the scenes. In my view, Kushner’s meeting with Hamas was a terrible mistake that helps to legitimize them,” said Elliott Abrams, who served as special envoy for Iran during the first Trump administration.
game changer
Sen. Darline Graham (R-SC) said at the final GOP primary debate on Tuesday to replace the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) that she is “not that informed on national security,” Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs reports. Graham made the comments after being asked at Tuesday’s debate if she believed Taiwan and the South China Sea were national security issues for the United States. “My brother was in the Air Force for 33 years, so I will do everything I can to support the military. My dad was in the army. I’m not a polished politician up here. National security is not my thing, not my area of expertise,” Graham said.
campus beat
Dysfunctional union governance is leaving some Jewish faculty and graduate students marginalized and unrepresented by the labor organizations meant to advocate for them, a report released Wednesday by the Academic Engagement Network and the Anti-Defamation League documents. The report, “A Crisis of Representation: Antisemitism and Inclusion in Higher Education Unions,” highlights how activist factions have used low-turnout union elections to push anti-Israel positions without broad member buy-in — often at the expense of Jewish members who say they have faced targeted attacks, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports.
The Rundown
sunshine state socialism
a whole new ballgame
investigating the investigators
wolverine warriors
campaign controversy
sephardi spotlight
mixed messages
On Our Radar
● The Live Briefing. Word on the street, clips, podcasts and quick updates — the items we’re tracking all day in our Live Briefing on the app (on Apple and Android) and website.
The State Department announced sanctions against Tomoko Akane, president of the International Criminal Court, and Abdoulaye Seye, a senior trial lawyer at the court, as part of the Trump administration’s recently announced campaign to target the body; Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the two individuals “have directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose government has not consented to ICC jurisdiction”…
The Department of Defense is demanding that 30 U.S. academic institutions, including Georgetown, UC Berkeley, Harvard, UCLA, USC, Cornell, Duke, Johns Hopkins and NYU, conduct comprehensive reviews of their ties with “foreign entities of concern,” threatening future Pentagon funding for research projects…
A new Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll found Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) with a 14-point lead over his primary opponent, Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA), among likely voters…
Former Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein is facing misdemeanor charges tied to her participation in an anti-Israel protest at Washington University in St. Louis in April 2024, during which she allegedly assaulted a police officer…
LionTree co-founder Ehren Stenzler is joining Moelis as a managing director, alongside Jake Donavan, who served as LionTree’s president of Europe…
Lawyers for Los Angeles Lakers Governor Jeanie Buss are contesting efforts to sell the Buss family’s stake — approximately 17.8% — in the team to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger; Kushner and Iger are still proceeding with their purchase of Mark Walter’s majority stake in the team…
Senior German lawmakers are calling on the EU to sanction Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir over his comments earlier this week that Israel should conduct “targeted killings” to “remove 30, 40 [people] every night” in Gaza…
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said the country will expel two Iranian diplomats after members of the Islamic Republic’s security service interrogated and allegedly assaulted two French Embassy employees, including the cultural attaché, who were posted in Tehran…
The Israel Football Association withdrew its support for FIFA head Gianni Infantino in what IFA President Moshe Zuares, citing an “unprecedented crisis of confidence” in the FIFA chief, said was a unanimous vote; the move came after Infantino fired FIFA’s COO over his opposition to Infantino’s proposal to sell off portions of the World Cup…
Azerbaijan is suing CNN for defamation, accusing the network of endangering the country by falsely reporting that Baku had allowed Israel to operate from Azerbaijani territory as it mounted attacks against Iran during the war earlier this year…
The United Arab Emirates said it would be cutting off all trade and commercial ties with Iran due to “regional escalations that undermine regional and international peace and security,” after Tehran fired two ballistic missiles at the Gulf state on Tuesday…
Lebanon transferred an Assad-era Syrian military official to Damascus after he was questioned in Beirut earlier this month over crimes he allegedly committed in Syria in 2011; Maj. Gen. Adel Issa, who fled to Lebanon after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, is expected to face trial in Syria…
Former Mossad head Yossi Cohen, who joined SoftBank in 2021 as head of the company’s Israel operations, was appointed to the additional role of senior advisor to SoftBank founder, chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son…
Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch and The Forward’s Talia Zax are joining The Atlantic as a staff writer and senior editor, respectively…
Israeli businessman and investor Shmuel Harlap, the former chairman of Israeli auto importer Colmobil, died at 82…
Worthy Reads
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Damage Control: In The Times of Israel, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew considers how Jerusalem can strengthen its relations with Washington amid a generational shift in the U.S. that threatens to derail the decades-long ties between the countries. “As a powerful but small country, Israel’s security depends on continued strategic cooperation with the United States. After fall elections in both countries, it will be urgent for a new government in Israel to take quick action to begin repairing this vital relationship. … This requires difficult decisions, and at least some humility, not a trait typically rewarded in Israeli political life.” [TOI]
Vilified on the Vineyard: The Atlantic’s Marc Leibovich travels to Alan Dershowitz’s home in Martha’s Vineyard to see how the lawyer has adjusted to life in the enclave after his public fallout with Larry David and what he alleges is ostracization from local events over his politics. “The week before our conversation, he had returned to the hallowed cultural battleground of the Pierogi Wars, the West Tisbury farmers’ market. He was wearing his U.S.-Israel shirt (or ‘my Zionist T-shirt,’ of which he has two — one red, one blue) and saw a guy wearing a Free Palestine shirt. ‘I walked up to him. I said, “Can we take a picture together?”’ The man refused. ‘He said, “No, no, no Israel,” and he walked away.’” [TheAtlantic]
EEOC Woes: In The Wall Street Journal, Ken Marcus, the founder of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, argues in favor of a proposal to end a requirement for large employers to submit race, sex and ethnicity employment data to the federal government. “Many employers and institutions have leaned on demographic frameworks to drive diversity and inclusion programs, sorting employees into broad categories of advantage and disadvantage. Within this schema, Jewish Americans are often folded into racial categories that have little or nothing to do with Jewish identity, meaning they are excluded from conversations about workplace discrimination entirely, even as antisemitic harassment has surged.” [WSJ]
Picture of the Day
Tadesse Getahon, Haimro Alame and Gashau Ayale — members of the Israeli men’s marathon team — showed off their gold medals (with Ayale also holding his individual bronze medal), after arriving at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport in Lod following the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, England.
Birthdays
Adam Arkin, actor and director, turns 70
Arthur Rock, one of the earliest Silicon Valley venture capital investors with positions in firms like Intel and Apple, turns 100
Gabriela Shalev, retired as president of Ono Academic College in Israel, she was Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations from 2008 to 2010, turns 85
Neal Slavin, photographer and director of television programs and movies
David Novak, professor emeritus of religion and philosophy at the University of Toronto, he is the author of over a dozen books, turns 85
Bill Clinton, 42nd president of the United States, turns 80
Miriam Baum Benkoe, retired reading teacher for the NYC Department of Education, she co-founded the kosher pantry at Bethesda Hospital in Boynton Beach, Fla.
Mark C. Rifkin, managing partner at Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz
Marc J. Rowan, chairman and CEO of Apollo Global Management, he is the board chairman of the UJA-Federation of New York, turns 64
Julius Genachowski, chairman of the FCC in the Obama administration, he is now a senior advisor at the Carlyle Group, turns 64
Joseph Kahn, executive editor of The New York Times, turns 62
Dan Aloni, managing partner and talent agent at William Morris Endeavor, he is active in the contemporary art world as a collector, turns 62
Omri Sharon, former member of Knesset, he is the son of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, turns 62
Carolynn Wotman, executive administrator of Ventura, Calif., accounting firm, Morgan, Daggett & Wotman
Kyra Sedgwick, actor and producer, known for her role as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson on the TNT crime drama “The Closer,” turns 61
Melinda R. Katz, district attorney of Queens, turns 61
Ezra Friedlander, founder and CEO of NYC-based government advocacy firm The Friedlander Group
Eric Louis Zinterhofer, private equity financier and a founding partner of Searchlight Capital Partners, he is on the board of Estee Lauder, turns 55
Yehuda Neuberger, chair of the Orthodox Union and past chair of The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore
Molly Jong-Fast, writer and MS NOW commentator, turns 48
Brett Icahn, businessman and investor, he and a partner successfully managed a hedge fund for his father, Carl Icahn, turns 47
Ross Hinkle, managing partner of Handmade Capital
Nufar Edelman, laser radial sailor, she represented Israel at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, turns 44
Aaron Yechiel Hirtz, founder and principal at Aron’s Kissena Farms and Cedar Market
Isaac Gortenburg, president at Kansas City-based Eighteen Capital Group
Steven Markowitz, rapper, singer and songwriter, known by his stage name Hoodie Allen, turns 38
Cassandra Federbusz, digital marketing and PR consultant, she is a team manager at HubSpot
Graham’s stumble comes one week before the special election runoff
Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., arrives for the Senate Judiciary Committee vote to move the nomination of Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche out of committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on Tuesday, Aug 4, 2026. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Sen. Darline Graham (R-SC) said at the final GOP primary debate to replace the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), one of Congress’ most engaged members on foreign policy, that she is “not that informed on national security.”
Graham made the comments after being asked at Tuesday’s debate, which was hosted by Newsmax and South Carolina ETV and Public Radio, if she believed Taiwan and the South China Sea were national security issues for the United States.
“I’m just going to be honest here. I’m not that informed on national security, but I do support the military,” Graham said. “My brother was in the Air Force for 33 years, so I will do everything I can to support the military. My dad was in the army. I’m not a polished politician up here. National security is not my thing, not my area of expertise. But I do support the military.”
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), Graham’s opponent in next week’s special election runoff, responded by describing Taiwan as “a definite ally” of the U.S. and praising President Donald Trump for “enabling Taiwan to defend themselves against China.” Norman has served in Congress for nearly a decade, and has touted his legislative experience as a strength on the campaign trail.
Shortly after the debate concluded, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who has endorsed Norman in the runoff, criticized Graham for her answer.
“Lindsey Graham was well informed on the United States’ national security. Darline Graham admits she’s not,” Haley wrote on X. “This is not something you inherit. And it’s critical in the U.S. Senate.”
At the start of the debate, Graham said while responding to a question about the cost of living that she trusted Trump “to get the Strait of Hormuz open.”
Asked if she supports continuing the U.S. war in Iran, Graham said, “I fully trust President Trump when it comes to the war in Iran. Forty-seven years this has been going on. Iran is the weakest they have been in 47 years. The one thing that concerns me is we cannot let them get a nuclear weapon. So I trust President Trump and everything he’s doing, I think he’s got this, and I trust him on it.”
Graham later cautioned, however, that she was not committed to supporting U.S. boots on the ground in Iran, a move that Trump has not indicated he’s considering.
“I think we should stand with Israel. They’re one of our strongest allies, so I definitely support standing with Israel,” Graham said. “I am a little concerned about troops on the ground. I don’t know that that’s necessary just yet. I would like to make sure that we try all economic solutions before we put troops on the ground.”
Norman, meanwhile, said that while he has been supportive of the president taking out the Iranian regime and its nuclear program, he believes the administration needs to justify why it is continuing the war and said that the U.S. should end its operations against Tehran.
“They were a severe threat, and he had the courage to do that. Now, I think that we’ve got to end it. I think that he’s going to have to tell the American people what it’s going to take,” Norman said. “If the Straits of Hormuz are still dominated by a country that’s supposed to be decimated, we’ve got to have some understanding on that because I’m not for endless wars. You win them and you get out.”
The South Carolina senator knocked Norman for voting against the National Defense Authorization Act on several occasions, which Norman responded to by pointing to his concerns about the size of the federal defense budget and the national debt.
While discussing U.S. support for Israel, of which Lindsey Graham was one of the most prominent champions in Congress, Norman described himself as a proponent of a strong U.S.-Israel relationship and vowed to continue being an ally to the Jewish state. He also praised Israel for what he characterized as its willingness to put troops on the ground in Iran to complete its military objectives.
“Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East. If you go there, that’s God’s country, and we have continued to maintain good relations,” Norman said. “The president, I think, has paid many a trip over there. You go over there, it changes you. It just does. … From what we’re hearing in Congress, they are ready, and willing and able to take out Iran if it means putting troops on the ground. They’re trained soldiers and they are true patriots. Yes, they are a friend, and we have to remain a friend.”
The South Carolina runoff between Graham and Norman is being held next Tuesday, August 25. Trump is headlining a campaign rally for Graham on Friday in Myrtle Beach.
Rep. Ralph Norman has backed Israel rhetorically but voted against two aid packages; Sen. Darline Graham has a short legislative record but has cosponsored Israel and Iran-related bills
Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) candidate for U.S. Senate, speaks during the GOP stump event held for Republican candidates for Senate at the Charleston Rifle Club in Charleston, S.C., on Aug. 6, 2026.
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.”
Polls show she’s largely unknown to South Carolina voters as she struggles to win a majority of Republican support
Kent NISHIMURA / AFP via Getty Images
Darline Graham, sister of Lindsey Graham, looks on during her ceremonial swearing in to become a U.S. Senator on July 14, 2026.
Sen. Darline Graham’s (R-SC) bid to succeed her late brother in the Senate is facing growing skepticism from Republican operatives and lawmakers who say President Donald Trump’s endorsement is unlikely to spare her from a runoff in South Carolina’s special GOP primary next week.
Over the last week, six senior GOP campaign operatives and Republican lawmakers told Jewish Insider that they believe a runoff is all but certain after the Aug. 11 special election primary, with most predicting Graham will not be able to clinch a majority of the vote to avert one as her brother, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), did with his June primary victory.
While Republicans believe Graham will be one of the top two candidates in the race, thus allowing her a spot in the Aug. 25 runoff, they are still unsure whether she will face Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) or Rep. Russell Fry (R-SC) in that contest. Those who spoke to JI expressed skepticism that Graham could win a head-to-head showdown, despite having Trump’s coveted primary endorsement.
“The sense that this is going to go to a runoff seems pretty clear,” Doug Heye, a Republican strategist who served as communications director for the Republican National Committee and a deputy communications official for former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), said. “What happens after that is anyone’s guess.”
“Ultimately, it’s going to be a question of what Republican voters in South Carolina want to do and how they view the new Sen. Graham,” he continued. “You can’t really factor in what she’s done yet, but you know what she says she’s going to do. She doesn’t have a high name ID, although that is increasing every day, whereas the others who are running have much higher name ID and not just necessarily in their districts.”
The uncertainty surrounding the race has caused some to worry about Graham entering a competitive election contest, which will require her to develop a full policy platform and hit the campaign trail as she mourns her brother’s recent death.
“It’s being said and unsaid by a lot of people on Capitol Hill right now. Up to this point, most people here have been more concerned about her personally than figuring out her political philosophy, asking if it’s fair to her to put her in this situation,” a Republican senator told JI. “This has got so many consequences. I’ve been very concerned about it. The people who express concern the most are still mainly worried about her personally, which is heartwarming, but the stakes are also very high.”
Four sources noted that Trump’s support for Graham did not deter Norman or Fry from entering the contest, nor has it hurt either of their performances in recent primary polling.
“There really is an appetite for change, but also for someone who is known, who has a proven record,” a GOP campaign source said. “Love them or hate them, folks know what Ralph and Russell’s records look like. Love them or hate them, you know where they stand. Darline is largely an unknown.”
Republican sources pointed to issues around voter turnout, Graham’s ability to fundraise quickly enough on the compressed campaign schedule, her lack of political background or voting record and the possibility of her losing support if portrayed to voters as being anointed to the role.
Darline Graham should be able to benefit from some of the leftover cash in her brother’s campaign account. Lindsey Graham’s campaign filed a statement with the Federal Election Commission after his death reporting $2.3 million in remaining funds.
Lindsey Graham’s campaign was able to transfer some of that money to the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the Senate GOP campaign arm, for Darline Graham to use for her campaign, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the situation. The figure expected to be transferred is under $1 million, one source confirmed, leaving Darline Graham with a possible cash disadvantage for the primary and the general election, where the Republican nominee will face Dr. Annie Andrews, a pediatrician who handily won the Democratic primary in June and has proven to be a strong fundraiser.
Prior to Lindsey Graham’s passing, Andrews drew attention for outraising the incumbent senator in the first two quarters of 2026. Despite the fundraising success, national Democrats declined to commit resources to the race against Graham, which the Cook Political Report continues to rate as solid Republican even after his death.
Sens. Rick Scott (R-FL) and Mike Lee (R-UT) got behind Norman’s campaign before Graham had entered; once she did, she quickly secured her own endorsements from three members of Senate GOP leadership: Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-WY); Senate Republican Conference Chairman Tom Cotton (R-AR); and Senate Republican Policy Committee Chairwoman Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV).
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said after Graham announced her candidacy that he would not be weighing in with an endorsement, though he praised the incumbent senator as a “strong candidate” who “obviously carries on Lindsey’s legacy.”
Beyond those who have already endorsed her, Graham does not appear to have asked her other Republican colleagues in the Senate for their backing, according to two Republican senators and one senior GOP Senate staffer. The senators suggested that perhaps Graham was not in the right frame of mind to ask about endorsements herself, though both senators expressed surprise that no one from Graham’s campaign had made those overtures on her behalf.
“Many of us had never met her before. All I knew was how much Lindsey adored her. He talked about her a lot. He referenced her a lot. He’d take her call whenever it happened to be,” a GOP senator told JI of Graham. “But we don’t have a clue how Republican she is. I don’t have the faintest idea what her basic philosophies are.”
“She hasn’t asked me or the members that I’ve talked to,” one GOP senator told JI on condition of anonymity of Graham seeking out endorsements late last week. “If she isn’t asking and nobody is asking on her behalf, she sure as heck won’t get a lot of them. Maybe she’ll get around to that next week now that she’s on the job full time. It’s kind of a pivotal week, I would say.”
Graham has picked up one House endorsement from Rep. William Timmons (R-SC), who opposes Norman’s candidacy, while Norman has been endorsed by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) and former Rep. Bob Good (R-VA). He also has the support of former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, who served with Norman in the House.
The slow drip of congressional endorsements have since ground to a halt, as it became clear that Graham’s surprise campaign launch and Trump’s support for her candidacy had not deterred her Republican opponents or hurt their polling numbers.
“Many of us had never met her before [she was sworn in to serve out the remainder of her brother’s term]. All I knew was how much Lindsey adored her. He talked about her a lot. He referenced her a lot. He’d take her call whenever it happened to be,” a GOP senator told JI of Graham. “But we don’t have a clue how Republican she is. I don’t have the faintest idea what her basic philosophies are.”
“She’s still grieving,” a senior GOP campaign official involved with the race told JI. “Nobody wants to be seen hitting someone whose brother literally just died — and then was vaulted into a very public, very national spotlight — but at some point the gloves are gonna have to come off at least somewhat.”
“I suspect that being through what she’s been through the last couple of weeks, reliving his whole life basically in written word and broadcast and even just storytelling, she’s probably getting a pretty good lesson if she’s still forming her positions,” the senator continued. “I doubt she’s 180 degrees from him, but I don’t know what’s in her heart.”
Several Republicans have expressed concern that voters would respond poorly to the idea of Graham running while mourning the loss of her brother. They also worry about the possibility that the contest turns negative and the consequences of that shift.
“She’s still grieving,” a senior GOP campaign official involved with the race told JI. “Nobody wants to be seen hitting someone whose brother literally just died — and then was vaulted into a very public, very national spotlight — but at some point the gloves are gonna have to come off at least somewhat.”
One Republican senator told JI that they were “afraid it could be a brawl before it’s over, especially if her opponent feels like they’re up against a wall and corners her. We know how this goes.”
“If they get to a runoff, at that point, it is a whole new ball game and she’s no longer a grieving sister. She becomes a semi-incumbent obstacle to whoever wants to win,” the senator said. “These things happen faster nowadays. We have short memories.”
The South Carolina senator faced her four leading opponents in a televised debate on Monday evening. Graham was joined on the debate stage by Norman, Fry, former Gov. Mark Sanford (R-SC) and Mark Lynch, a MAGA-aligned businessman who lost to Lindsey Graham in last month’s primary by 30 points.
The debate was largely respectful, though Graham called out Lynch in her closing statement for repeatedly criticizing her late brother while on stage. “I don’t know if I can rebut, but Mr. Lynch mentioned Lindsey Graham multiple times. I don’t know if he’s just afraid Lindsey beat him and now his little sister is going to beat him, but I just don’t like hearing that,” Graham said.
Graham used the debate to highlight where she and her late brother agree and disagree on policy matters, emphasizing their shared support for the U.S. war in Iran and how they diverge on the filibuster, which Darline Graham said she supports abolishing to pass the Save America Act despite her later brother’s opposition to the move.
It is unclear if the two candidates who advance to the runoff, should one be triggered, will hold another debate.
“Lindsey just made his way through a pretty contentious primary himself, and there is a degree of the primary electorate that was not a fan of his. I think that segment will still be very much adamantly opposed to this because they’ll see it as a continuation of the policies that they don’t support,” a senior GOP campaign source said. “Ralph Norman is a little bit better positioned to capture some of these hardcore conservative voters. I think she’ll have a difficult time even with the president’s endorsement.”
“This is potentially a race where debates could have a real impact, in part because this would be part of her introduction statewide as a candidate,” Heye said. “In moments like that where you have somebody in that situation, it’s very important for the other people on stage, including the moderators, to be appropriately respectful.”
While several Republicans acknowledged Trump’s endorsement as a key booster for Graham, they pointed out that her late brother, who was known to be close to the president, struggled in his own primary.
“Lindsey just made his way through a pretty contentious primary himself, and there is a degree of the primary electorate that was not a fan of his. I think that segment will still be very much adamantly opposed to this because they’ll see it as a continuation of the policies that they don’t support,” a senior GOP campaign source said. “Ralph Norman is a little bit better positioned to capture some of these hardcore conservative voters. I think she’ll have a difficult time even with the president’s endorsement.”
Heye noted to JI that, “Not everything that happens in a Republican primary is about Donald Trump. His endorsement is always a boost, but that’s it.”
Reached for comment, Graham campaign press secretary Abby Zilch told JI in a statement, “Sen. Darline Graham has had to work hard for every single thing she’s ever done — running for the United States Senate will be no different. That’s just one of the many reasons why President Trump has endorsed her and why so many South Carolinians see a true fighter in this campaign.”
Reps. Russell Fry and Ralph Norman have also entered the race for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s seat
Kent NISHIMURA / AFP via Getty Images
Darline Graham, sister of Lindsey Graham, looks on during her ceremonial swearing in to become a U.S. Senator on July 14, 2026.
Sen. Darline Graham (R-SC) said that she will run in next month’s special election to replace her brother, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), on the ballot as the GOP nominee for Senate in November.
Graham, who was appointed last week to serve out the remainder of her brother’s term in the Senate, announced her decision to run for a full term in an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Monday.
“I’ve made a decision,” Graham said. “I’m in.”
Graham told Hannity, a friend of her late brother’s, that she had been “praying a lot” and “talking to my family” about the decision, which she acknowledged she needed to make at an expedited pace due to the week-long filing period for candidates beginning on Tuesday.
“With the love of my family, with the support of his staff, I know I’m a hard worker. I learned that from Lindsey. He cared about the people of this state. I’ve worked for almost 30 years for the people of this state,” Graham said. “I feel like I can do it. I feel an inner peace about it. Will it be difficult? Yes, absolutely.”
President Donald Trump publicly called on her to run in the special election after meeting her at the White House last week, promising his endorsement if she got in the race.
“These are just the laws of South Carolina. The filing begins tomorrow. I think you have a week, and by that time, the funerals won’t even have taken place,” Hannity said. “Then the president putting an ask on you — well, put it that way, it’s a lot of pressure.”
“It’s a tremendous amount of pressure,” Graham acknowledged in response.
Two sources familiar with Graham’s thinking told Jewish Insider on Friday that she was not interested in running for a full term when she initially agreed to accept the appointment last Sunday. The South Carolina senator began considering a bid over the course of last week, the sources said.
Reps. Russell Fry (R-SC) and Ralph Norman (R-SC) have also entered the contest, as has Mark Lynch, who lost to Graham in last month’s primary by 30 points and has committed $5 million of his own money to his campaign for the special election. Lynch ignored Lindsey Graham’s repeated calls during the primary to fire his political director despite the staffer’s record of making antisemitic statements, including posting a photo to social media last June of a boot stepping on the Talmud and calling it a “hate filled book” and “what drives today’s Judaism.”
Norman has been endorsed by Sens. Rick Scott (R-FL) and Mike Lee (R-UT). Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), who expressed interest in the Senate race, announced Monday that she won’t be running for Graham’s seat.
After Graham’s announcement on Hannity began circulating on social media, Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-WY) and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) quickly endorsed her bid.
“Darline Graham is an excellent senator. She’ll continue to be an excellent senator,” Barrasso said in a statement. “She has my full support.”
“I’m proud to join President Trump and endorse Darline Graham,” Cotton wrote on X. “She’ll be a principled conservative leader and a strong advocate for South Carolina families.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), meanwhile, said on Monday that while Graham was a “strong candidate” who “obviously carries on Lindsey’s legacy,” he was not endorsing any candidates in the race “at the moment.”
“She’s a strong candidate. Sounds like the field is taking shape, and we’ll let the voters in South Carolina decide it,” Thune told reporters. “She obviously carries on Lindsey’s legacy and I think she’s a very accomplished person in her own right.”
The president said he’d give Darline Graham his ‘complete and total endorsement’ if she enters the special election to succeed her late brother
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Sen. Darline Graham (R-SC) makes her way to a swearing in ceremony in the U.S. Capitol after she was sworn in on the Senate floor on Tuesday, July 14, 2026.
President Donald Trump said on Friday that he has asked newly appointed Sen. Darline Graham (R-SC) to consider running in next month’s special Senate election for the full term of her late brother’s seat.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that he had encouraged Darline Graham, who was appointed to serve out the remainder of her brother’s term following his unexpected passing last weekend, to run in the race to succeed Lindsey Graham during her visit to the White House on Thursday for their first meeting since she was sworn in.
The president said that Darline Graham would receive his endorsement should she decide to seek a full term in the Senate.
“During her visit, I asked Darline, for the Good of our Nation, to run for the U.S. Senate in the Special Republican Primary on Tuesday, August 11, 2026,” Trump wrote. “I hope Darline does this, in that there would be nobody better to honor the legacy of her beloved brother, Lindsey. Darline, who comes from an absolutely incredible family, has been a WINNER all of her life, and should she accept, has my Complete and Total Endorsement in the Special Election for U.S. Senate in South Carolina.”
Trump said he has known Darline Graham “for a long time” and called her “a spectacular person, and a true American Patriot. Lindsey was one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known, and his sister shares his deep love of our Country, and the State of South Carolina.”
“SHE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN,” he wrote. “RUN, DARLINE, RUN!”
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster announced on Monday that he was appointing Darline Graham to serve out the remainder of her older brother’s Senate term, which ends in January. The announcement came hours after Trump publicly declared that Darline Graham was his preferred choice to represent South Carolina on her brother’s behalf until the conclusion of his Senate term.
At the time, Darline Graham had not expressed any interest in running in the special election next month to be the GOP nominee, prompting other Republicans in the state to start engaging with the White House and the National Republican Senatorial Committee about possibly getting into the race.
Two sources familiar with Darline Graham’s thinking told Jewish Insider that she was not interested in running for a full term when she initially agreed to accept the appointment on Sunday. While the sources confirmed she is now considering entering the race, they stressed that she has not made a final decision.
Among those who began fielding calls were Reps. Russell Fry (R-SC), Ralph Norman (R-SC) and Nancy Mace (R-SC) and former Rep. Trey Gowdy.
Mark Lynch, who lost to Graham in last month’s primary by 30 points, has already entered the special election and committed $5 million of his own money to the campaign. Lindsey Graham attacked him for using antisemitic rhetoric during this year’s regularly scheduled GOP primary.
Fry reportedly emerged as a top contender for the president’s endorsement, though roadblocks emerged midweek as it became clear that any House Republican seeking to run for the seat would make it harder for House Speaker Mike Johnson to secure enough GOP votes to secure legislative majorities.
Darline Graham’s office did not respond to JI’s requests for comment.
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