Trump’s super fans are torn on Darline Graham ahead of key GOP Senate contest

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — It’s a warning sign for Sen. Darline Graham when devoted fans of President Donald Trump, who are decked out in MAGA gear and wait hours in the summer heat to watch him speak, aren’t sold on giving her a six-year Senate term .

Trump rallied Friday evening with Graham, the South Carolina Republican who was appointed by the state’s governor to finish the term of her elder brother, Lindsey Graham, who died suddenly last month at 71.

She faces five-term Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., in Tuesday’s runoff. The winner will be a heavy favorite this fall against Democratic nominee Dr. Annie Andrews in this red state.

“I’m going to vote for Ralph Norman, unfortunately for Graham,” said Daniel Musick, a Myrtle Beach voter who called Trump “the best president we’ve ever had.”

“It’s just that she’s untested. I don’t know enough about her,” he said.

Graham’s candidacy has come under scrutiny after a couple of high-profile blunders at Tuesday’s GOP debate. When asked if Taiwan and the South China Sea are U.S. national security issues, she said she’s “not that informed on national security.” She also said that are “50 million people in South Carolina” — the state’s population is just under 5.6 million .

The debate was enough to move Musick, who said Graham’s answer on China and Taiwan made it “really unclear that she knew her foreign policy.”

“To me, that was the biggest issue,” Musick said, contrasting Graham with Norman, whose views he said align with his own.

Others were also weighing the debate as they arrived to hear Trump speak. Glenda Clinkscales, who lives near Anderson, said Graham had “some good answers and some not-so-good answers” and that the performance would factor into her vote.

Still undecided, Clinkscales said she wanted to hear more from Graham on Friday night before making up her mind.

Roger, a Myrtle Beach voter who wore a black “DARK MAGA” T-shirt and asked that his last name not be published, said Trump’s endorsement carries some “weight” with him — but he remained undecided.

“Her people should have briefed her a little bit more,” he said. “Foreign policy is something that — you’re going to come in as a new senator, as a rookie, you’re gonna have to learn that.”

He added that he wants to look more closely at Norman’s policies before deciding who he’ll vote for on Tuesday.

The contest marks another test of Trump’s endorsement power after he quickly endorsed the younger Graham for the seat. While his support remains highly coveted by GOP candidates, Trump has had some significant misses in primaries this year.