At the only debate in a runoff election that will most likely determine the next senator from South Carolina, Senator Darline Graham stumbled over a question about the importance of Taiwan to U.S. interests, saying she was “not that informed on national security.”
The awkward moment, which prompted boos from the audience, underscored her biggest vulnerability in the race to succeed her brother, the late Lindsey Graham. Ms. Graham has the full support of President Trump, but she lacks the experience of her opponent, Representative Ralph Norman, who easily explained why Taiwan is an economic ally for the United States and worth protecting against China.
On Tuesday night from an opera house in Newberry, S.C., the candidates offered voters a stark contrast in their leadership styles. Aside from the foreign-policy stumble, Ms. Graham appeared poised and portrayed herself as a loyal ally to Mr. Trump. Mr. Norman, the vice chairman of the Freedom Caucus and five-term congressman, flexed his ultraconservative record to argue that he would defend the interests of South Carolinians, even if it meant breaking with the president.
Here are five takeaways from the debate. Early voting starts on Wednesday, ahead of the special Republican primary election on Aug. 25.
A major gaffe showcased Ms. Graham’s inexperience.
It was in response to a question about whether Taiwan and the South China Sea are of national-security interest to the United States that Ms. Graham drew a blank.
“I’m just going to be honest here,” she said. “I’m not that informed on national security.”
Gasps and boos could be heard in the audience. Mr. Graham, among the Senate’s most hawkish defenders of U.S. national security, had dedicated his Senate career to foreign policy issues.
Ms. Graham offered that she supported the military and then leaned on her oft-repeated argument for voters who doubted her qualifications to serve in the Senate: Her status as a political outsider is an asset.
“I’m not a polished politician up here,” she said.
Ms. Graham has sought to differentiate herself from her brother by saying she is more focused on domestic issues that directly affect people like her.
One of her strongest moments came when she recounted living off Social Security benefits after her parents died during her childhood. She also animated the room during her closing statement, when she hit Mr. Norman — who ran for governor earlier this year — for not knowing whether he wanted to be in South Carolina or Washington.
Mr. Norman bucked Mr. Trump over the war with Iran.
Mr. Norman, who endorsed Nikki Haley in her 2024 presidential bid against Mr. Trump, appears to have little to lose when it comes to his relationship with the president.
Mr. Trump not only has endorsed Ms. Graham, but also has been working steadily to rally support around her in the sprint to the runoff next Tuesday. He will appear with her at a rally on Friday in Myrtle Beach.
On Tuesday night, Mr. Norman said he generally supported Mr. Trump’s goals in the war, but he also thought the president owed Americans an explanation for why it was ongoing.
“He’s going to have to tell the American people what it’s going to take if the Straits of Hormuz are still dominated by a country that’s supposed to be decimated,” he said.
Ms. Graham came ready to fight.
For most of the debate, Ms. Graham was consistently on the attack.
She knocked him for voting to raise state gas taxes while he served in the state legislature and criticized him for accepting federal bailout funds during the coronavirus pandemic, even as he voted against stimulus checks for millions of Americans.
Mr. Norman defended his record, but he seemed intent, at least at the start, to avoid engaging with her jabs. He grew more aggressive as the debate came to a close. In one moment that energized the crowd, he criticized Ms. Graham for her affiliation with a PAC funded largely by a Democratic donor.
Mr. Norman said Dr. Fauci should “be in an orange jumpsuit.” Graham agreed.
Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the government’s top Covid adviser during the pandemic, should “be in an orange jumpsuit,” Mr. Norman said. Illegal immigrants should be “immediately deported,” Ms. Graham said. Both agreed that the Senate should pass a voting restriction bill that Mr. Trump had demanded for months.
Still, they differed on some issues.
On health care, Mr. Norman touted a free-market solution that would allow consumers to purchase insurance plans across state lines, while Ms. Graham discussed the importance of increasing funding for rural hospitals. Both took a hard line on immigration policy — an opportunity for Ms. Graham to distinguish herself from her brother’s more moderate stance.
It’s ‘silly season’ in South Carolina.
Just about every time Ms. Graham tried to contest his record, Mr. Norman offered this one-line retort:
“It’s silly season, folks.”
He deployed the line repeatedly to avoid sparring with his opponent, presenting himself as more experienced, while perhaps also avoiding the optics of attacking the grieving sister of a longtime fixture of South Carolina politics.
