South Carolina Republicans write in Ralph Norman against Darline Graham

A grassroots coalition in South Carolina is urging Republican voters to write in Congressman Ralph Norman for the US Senate, bypassing the party’s official nominee, Senator Darline Graham. The movement, led by 28-year-old Avery Milton, argues that Graham’s rapid transition from a temporary appointment to a full-term candidate alienated key conservative voters. Milton, a self-described Trump supporter who voted for the president in the last three elections, said the party leader’s actions left him feeling betrayed. He described the appointment as an installation rather than an election. "He stabbed us in the back during his second term," Milton said.

Graham assumed her seat on July 11 following the death of her brother, former Senator Lindsey Graham. She is the first sibling to fill a Senate vacancy in this manner. President Donald Trump publicly urged her to run for a full six-year term, posting "RUN, DARLINE, RUN!" on Truth Social and pledging his endorsement. Graham announced her candidacy on Fox News three days later. She defeated Norman in the August primary election. Since losing, Norman has declined to campaign with Graham and stated that she must earn the vote. "You have to earn the vote. She hasn’t done that," Norman told The Wall Street Journal. He characterized the current campaign as an effort to prop up a weak candidate.

The write-in strategy targets a specific segment of the electorate that feels ignored by the state Republican establishment. Milton noted that Graham has done little to engage voters in Upstate South Carolina, Norman’s home district, aside from private dinners and events with Trump. The movement seeks a senator who operates independently rather than serving as a rubber stamp for party leadership. A New York Times/Siena poll released in October indicated that 30 percent of likely voters identify as independents. Among these voters, Democratic challenger Annie Andrews leads Graham by 20 percentage points. This demographic represents a significant portion of the electorate that may not support the party’s designated nominee.

The race has drawn intense presidential attention. Trump, who won the state by nearly 18 percentage points in 2024, has visited South Carolina twice in three months to campaign for Graham. Current polling shows the race is statistically tied. The October New York Times/Siena College poll placed both Graham and Andrews at 48 percent among likely voters. This competitiveness offers Democrats a rare opportunity in a state that has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1998. The state’s Election Commission reported that nearly 950,000 early votes have been cast, setting a new record for a midterm election. Leila Ali, a regional campaign adviser, said strategists often underestimate the diversity of the Southern vote. "The biggest thing that people get wrong is that they think the Southern vote is this monolith," she said.

Milton and his supporters are willing to risk a split vote that could aid Andrews. He argued that the write-in effort reflects voters who would otherwise stay home or choose another option. "They’re going to try to point the finger on this Write-in Ralph movement," Milton said. He added that blaming the write-in votes assumes those supporters would have voted for Graham, which he said is not the case. The general election is scheduled for November 3.