US President Donald Trump travelled to South Carolina yesterday (21 October) to campaign for Senator Darline Graham, whose early struggles in her first election campaign since replacing her late brother have raised hopes among Democrats of challenging the Republicans' long-standing dominance in the state.
Trump, whose speech was repeatedly interrupted by protesters early on, sought to reassure voters that the late Senator Lindsey Graham had held his sister in high regard.
"Everybody respects her. She's smart and incredible. She'll never let you down," Trump said while making the case for her election.
He also attacked Graham's Democratic rival, paediatrician Annie Andrews, saying she would be "the most extreme and one of the most crazy people in the entire country. It would be a disaster."
The president initially focused on Republican attacks accusing Andrews of supporting gender-transition surgeries for transgender minors, a claim she denies. However, over the course of his hour-and-a-half speech, Trump moved between various topics, devoting relatively little time to South Carolina.
He discussed renaming bodies of water, complained that he should have received the Nobel and Pulitzer prizes, and imitated a female bodybuilder. He also highlighted some of his achievements since returning to office, including efforts to lower drug prices, and outlined future goals, such as expanding the use of the death penalty.
Although South Carolina is not usually considered a battleground in midterm elections, Trump has invested heavily in Graham's campaign. He supported her appointment to replace Lindsey Graham following his death in July and backed her in a special Republican primary against several more experienced candidates.
However, tensions emerged between the president and the senator over the weekend after Trump decided to waive sanctions on Russia over the war in Ukraine that were due to be imposed under a law named after Lindsey Graham.
Republicans are determined to prevent Andrews from pulling off an upset. More than $34 million has been poured into the race, with Republican groups portraying the Democratic candidate as a "radical liberal."
Trump is campaigning daily for candidates across the country this week, including in traditionally conservative areas, and urging voters to "pretend I'm on the ballot" to prevent weak Republican turnout in the midterms.
"Darline Graham knows that our campaign's momentum is so strong she called Donald Trump to come campaign for her in South Carolina," Andrews said in a fundraising appeal email.
Darline Graham seeks to establish her political credentials
Lindsey Graham had been on course to win a fifth term when he died of an aortic tear. Darline Graham, a former director of the state agency for the blind, received bipartisan support when she was appointed to complete her brother's term.
However, her decision to contest the seat in the midterm elections raised questions about whether she had enough political experience for the job.
Trump endorsed Darline Graham and campaigned for her before a runoff against US Representative Ralph Norman. Her response to a question about US policy toward Taiwan, during which she acknowledged that she was "not that informed on national security," further fuelled concerns about her preparedness.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, a South Carolina native who spoke before Trump at Wednesday's rally, said Graham shared the same hopes for America that had motivated her brother.
"As long as Donald Trump is in the White House, and Darline Graham is in the Senate, we can all hope for a better country," he said.
At a weekend event in Mount Pleasant, supporter Nanette Tumbleston said she strongly wanted Graham to win, expressing concern about the consequences of Democrats gaining the seat.
"I hope that everybody's eyes will be open and we'll have a Republican win," Tumbleston said, adding that she feared the growing influence of progressives within the Democratic Party.
"I just can't see how they can see that the world's going to be a better place with those policies," she said.
Andrews shifts focus from Lindsey Graham to his sister
Andrews launched her campaign more than a year before Lindsey Graham's death but later shifted her focus to criticising Darline Graham as "Trump-endorsed and unqualified."
The paediatrician argues that Republican policies have weakened the broader US economy and worsened the financial situation of children and families. Her campaign has centred on the promise of "building a South Carolina that we can all afford," as she said last week in Columbia.
As Andrews appeared to gain momentum this autumn, Republican groups poured millions of dollars into the race, describing the spending as insurance to protect Graham's seat.
Trump also attacked Andrews on social media, saying she did not represent "the Values of the Great People of South Carolina."
Some Andrews supporters acknowledged that Democrats could eventually make a breakthrough in the state, although they suggested it might take more time.
Paul Davis, of Aiken, said people were increasingly angry and frustrated because they could no longer afford many things. However, he believed a Democratic victory "may be a cycle or two away."
Candidates question each other's qualifications
During their only debate, Graham and Andrews disagreed on issues including healthcare but focused largely on questioning each other's qualifications and experience.
"It is nothing personal, but she has shown time and time again that she is not up for the job," Andrews said, describing Graham's interim appointment as "a nice gesture."
Graham argued that continuing to serve while coping with her brother's death demonstrated her resilience.
"I'm just as qualified as you are," she said.
At a rally in Columbia, some Andrews supporters expressed hope despite the Democrats' repeated Senate election defeats in South Carolina.
In 2020, Lindsey Graham defeated Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison by 10 percentage points in a contest that became the most expensive election in the state's history.
"It's definitely frustrating," said Emily Glenham, a copywriter from Columbia. "It's definitely been disappointing, but you can't have hope."
Sandra Martin, of West Columbia, also said Andrews had "a good chance" but suggested Democrats might need more time to win.
"Georgia did it," she said. "If Georgia can do it, there's no reason we can't, someday."