Ralph Norman refuses to campaign for Trump-backed Darline Graham
Republican Rep. Ralph Norman says he will not help Senate candidate Darline Graham in the final week before Election Day, accusing President Donald Trump of trying to force a candidate on South Carolina voters.
Republican Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina says he will not help Senate candidate Darline Graham in the final week before Election Day, a move that exposes a widening rift in the state's GOP and puts him in direct conflict with President Donald Trump. Norman accused Trump and allied groups of trying to force a candidate on voters who, he argued, are not buying the case for Graham.
Norman lost to Graham in a runoff for the Senate Republican nomination earlier this year. Graham, who was appointed to replace her brother, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, is running a closer-than-expected race in her home state. In a text message to Fox News Digital on Tuesday, written in all capital letters, Norman said voters « are not buying the argument » that they must settle for a candidate propped up by special interest groups and by a Republican president spending millions of dollars on what he called false narratives about her qualifications. He said the general election « is about attempts to 'force' a candidate on the voters of S.C., » and added that the race did not have to be this way. He closed with a line that has become a focal point of the dispute: « Elections have consequences. »
The timing sharpens the political stakes. The attack comes about a week before voters decide who controls Congress for the final two years of Trump's presidency. Norman said he would refuse to campaign with or for Graham regardless of who asked. He told Fox News Digital that Graham's campaign manager had asked his chief of staff whether he would appear with her, and that he declined. Pressure to change course has come from within the delegation as well. Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., who also lost his bid for the GOP nomination for the late senator's seat, told reporters this week that Norman, who has long carried the conservative banner, « should step into the arena, » according to Politico.
Republican officials are pushing back. Republican National Committee spokeswoman Emma Hall told Fox News Digital that Republicans are unified behind beating Democratic nominee Annie Andrews. « Democrats' socialism has no place in South Carolina, and that's why President Trump supports Darline Graham, » Hall said.
Trump has returned to the state to back Graham, holding a rally in Clemson, S.C., last week. Election forecasters have signaled a more competitive contest. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report shifted the race from « Likely Republican » to « Lean Republican » last week. Outside money is also flowing in: the Senate Leadership Fund, a political action committee closely aligned with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., pledged $5 million in ad spending in South Carolina earlier this month.
The defections extend beyond the Normans. Two former South Carolina governors, Republican David Beasley and Democrat Jim Hodges, are reportedly backing Andrews. Norman's son, Warren, wrote an op-ed for FITS News last week saying he would « not be voting » for Graham and was leaning toward Andrews. « It will be the first time in my life I've voted for a Democrat in a partisan election, » he wrote, adding that there is no true conservative to vote for in the race. Ralph Norman had previously said he would vote for Graham, but that his family would not.
When asked for comment, the White House pointed to Trump's remarks at the South Carolina rally. « You must vote for Darline and Republicans, and just — you're going to be happy, » Trump said. « I tell you, you're going to look back years from now. You're going to say it was truly one of the greatest votes you ever made. High-quality person, and she's going to be great. » Fox News Digital has reached out to Graham's campaign for comment.
The dispute also arrives as Trump addresses artificial intelligence policy. In a separate development reported this week, Trump said he would ban the use of the term « artificial intelligence » in « all relevant documents » and « everything else, » saying his preferred name is « super intelligence. » That remark was made in a different context and does not bear directly on the South Carolina Senate contest.
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