Two South Carolina Republicans are pushing forward with potential Senate bids even after President Trump threw his weight behind Darline Graham Nordone, the late Senator Lindsey Graham's sister, to claim his seat in a special election.
Rep. Nancy Mace told associates it would be "political malpractice not to" pursue the race, according to sources close to her deliberations. Rep. Ralph Norman was more emphatic, responding "Yes!!" when asked if he remained interested in running.
Trump posted to Truth Social on Friday urging Nordone to seek a full six-year term, calling her the perfect choice to honor her brother's legacy. Nordone, whom Gov. Henry McMaster appointed to finish Graham's term, has not publicly confirmed her intentions, though reporting suggests she is weighing the decision.
The competing candidacies threaten to muddy the August 11 special primary election that will determine the Republican nominee for the general ballot. A crowded field could fracture the GOP vote and create exactly the kind of contested nomination process Trump appeared designed to prevent with his endorsement.
Mace and Norman both tested the gubernatorial waters earlier this year, with Norman finishing third in the Republican primary and Mace placing fifth. That recent electoral experience has not dampened their appetite for higher office, suggesting both see the Senate race as winnable despite Trump's public preference.
The field extends beyond the two House members and Nordone. Rep. Russell Fry, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, businessman Mark Lynch, and former Rep. Mark Sanford have all circulated as possible contenders. Sanford took the procedural step of converting his recent House campaign committee into a Senate vehicle, an FEC filing shows.
Whether Nordone's expected entry will clear the field remains to be seen. Trump's endorsement carries significant weight in Republican primary politics, but South Carolina's Senate seat is valuable enough that ambitious candidates may ignore even a presidential signal if they believe they have a viable path to victory.
Author James Rodriguez: "Mace and Norman's defiance of Trump's endorsement suggests either real confidence in their own appeal or a calculation that the Trump brand in South Carolina is less iron-clad than his national profile might suggest."
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