Washington — President Trump headed to South Carolina on Friday to rally voters behind Republican Sen. Darline Graham, making a last-minute push before Tuesday’s special primary runoff and telling the crowd to “pretend, please, that I’m on the ballot.”
“Just come and vote,” Trump urged supporters. “Just say that I’m on the ballot one more time.”
Graham is locked in a runoff against Rep. Ralph Norman as she seeks to secure the Republican nomination for the November ballot, where she would run to succeed her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham. Even with Trump’s endorsement, she fell short of the 50% threshold needed to win outright in last week’s crowded primary contest.
Trump framed his visit to the state as a tribute to the late senator, saying his support for Darline Graham was tied closely to his respect for her brother.
“I can’t believe he’s not here, even,” Mr. Trump said. “I went to her and I said, ‘You got to run, Darline.’”
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The Myrtle Beach campaign stop came only days after Graham drew criticism for stumbling over a foreign policy question during a debate, raising fresh questions about her readiness for the Senate role. Graham was appointed to finish the remainder of her brother’s current term following his sudden death in early July.
“I’m just going to be honest here,” Graham said when asked whether Taiwan and the South China Sea should be considered national security concerns for the United States. “I’m not that informed on national security.”
Foreign affairs had long been one of Lindsey Graham’s defining issues in Washington, but Darline Graham has said her own Senate focus would be centered more heavily on domestic priorities.
“All she was is being honest,” Mr. Trump told reporters about Graham’s debate answer before boarding Air Force One to head to South Carolina. “She’s very smart, and she was being honest.”
At the rally, Graham addressed those who have raised concerns about her qualifications.
“Now the critics say I shouldn’t run for the Senate. They say I’m not a politician. You know what I say? Guilty as charged,” she said in remarks that lasted a little more than 10 minutes. “By the way, President Trump had never served in an elected office before.”
Mr. Trump also noted the differences between the siblings.
“Her brother was very much about the world,” he said. “He focused very much on that. That’s good. That’s fine. But she’s more about affordability.”
Also appearing at Friday’s rally were Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso of Wyoming, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina and Rep. Russell Fry of South Carolina.
