ENDORSEMENT: Sen. Darline Graham has proven she’s a conservative champion. She deserves the Republican nomination.

In just a few weeks, Sen. Darline Graham (R., S.C.) has demonstrated that she is a workhorse, she’s a strong conservative, and she’s a winner.

The Washington Reporter enthusiastically endorses Graham for the Republican nomination in South Carolina ahead of the upcoming runoff. 

Graham entered the Senate under circumstances no one would have wished for, following the death of her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.). But during her short time in office, she has already shown that she belongs there.

She has approached the job with seriousness, energy and a clear commitment to South Carolina’s conservative values.

Graham is also no stranger to leadership. Before entering the Senate, she spent years running the South Carolina Commission for the Blind, overseeing roughly 130 employees, 10 offices and a $90 million budget. She earned a reputation as a capable administrator who cared about both the people her agency served and the taxpayers who funded it.

That experience has translated well to the Senate.

When the Reporter recently interviewed Graham, we asked her specifically about Democrats’ efforts to defund ICE and Sen. Dick Durbin’s (D., Ill.) push to shut down immigration detention centers.

Graham didn’t hedge.

“President Trump has made tremendous progress securing our border, and we cannot allow far-left Democrats to undo that progress,” she told the Reporter.

Graham has also taken a leadership role in the fight to fight to ensure Jack Smith’s lawfare never happens again. That is exactly the kind of clarity Republicans need in the Senate. 

Graham has also quickly earned the respect of some of the most influential conservatives in the Senate. Her colleagues know what South Carolina voters are now seeing: Graham has the temperament, work ethic and conservative instincts to be an effective senator and a strong partner for President Trump’s agenda.

Her runoff opponent, Rep. Ralph Norman (R., S.C.), is a nice man who has a long career in public service. We wish him the best and he is a fine Representative.

But we think Sen. Graham is the conservative fighter that South Carolina deserves.  

Graham has made clear that she intends to work closely with President Trump and fight for the conservative agenda South Carolinians overwhelmingly support.

She has already stepped forward when her state and country needed her. She has already shown she can lead. And she has already demonstrated that she will fight for secure borders, responsible government and South Carolina’s conservative values.

Darline Graham is already proving herself to be a conservative champion.

She deserves the Republican nomination and the opportunity to keep fighting for South Carolina in the United States Senate.