Running for Senate in 2026 was likely the farthest thing from the front of now-Sen. Darline Graham’s (R., S.C.) mind earlier this year, but she was thrust into the spotlight following the tragic and sudden death of her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.). Now, Graham is sprinting to the finish line of a primary to run for a full term to succeed her brother for the next six years.

While Graham has never run for office before, she was a key surrogate for her brother’s campaigns for Senate and for the White House, and she spent years as a Commissioner on the South Carolina Commission for the Blind. In an interview with the Washington Reporter, she explained that her experience there is already informing her perspective as the newest senator. 

“At the Commission for the Blind, I managed 10 offices, more than 130 employees, and a $90 million annual budget,” Graham explained. “We cut waste, streamlined government, and turned a struggling state agency into a national model while providing quality services to the people who depended on us.”

This is exactly what she’d like to see more of from the government. “Washington could use a lot more of that mindset,” she said. “Families in South Carolina cannot spend money they do not have forever, and neither should the federal government. I will look at the federal budget the same way I looked at my agency budget and the same way families look at their kitchen table budgets: What do we need? What is wasteful? Where can we do more with less? I am ready to cut waste, rein in reckless spending, and make government work for the taxpayers again.”

Another logical area for Graham to both collaborate with her fellow Senate Republicans, and to continue the legacy of her brother, is in cracking down on the ability for future Jack Smiths to obtain phone records of lawmakers, like he did with those of her brother.

“Nobody should be above the law, and that includes the people entrusted with enforcing it,” Graham said in the wake of the Arctic Frost scandal. “What happened with Jack Smith and Arctic Frost raises serious questions about whether the federal government’s power was weaponized for political purposes,” she added. “I believe it was. Americans deserve answers, and Congress has a responsibility to make sure it can never happen again. Lindsey fought hard to expose what happened and hold people accountable. I intend to do the same.”

But while Graham has plenty she can work on with her GOP colleagues, there is a lot that she has to push back on Democrats with, especially when it comes to border security.

While “President Trump has made tremendous progress securing our border, [] we cannot allow far-left Democrats to undo it,” she said. President Donald Trump was at the forefront of both urging Gov. Henry McMaster (R., S.C.) to appoint Graham to the vacant Senate seat, and in pushing her to run for the full term. “If you want to come to this country, come legally, follow our laws, and live by our values,” she added. “That is common sense. ICE agents do an incredibly difficult job enforcing our immigration laws and removing dangerous criminal illegal aliens from our communities. Instead of demonizing or defunding them, Congress should continue giving them the resources and support they need to do their jobs.”

While Graham is unlikely to fill her brother’s shoes when it comes to the breadth of foreign policy issues, the threat from Communist China is one that she is acutely aware of already.

“China has repeatedly demonstrated that it is willing to exploit our weaknesses,” she said. “My priority is protecting Americans here at home. That means securing our critical infrastructure against Chinese cyberattacks, cracking down on espionage and intellectual property theft, stopping CCP-linked entities from gaining access to sensitive American technology and infrastructure, and disrupting the supply chains that help bring fentanyl into our communities. It also means making America stronger. We need to manufacture more here, produce our own energy, secure our supply chains, and stop depending on Communist China for things America can make ourselves.”

Below is a transcript of our interview with Sen. Darline Graham (R., S.C), lightly edited for clarity.

Washington Reporter:

You led a state agency with a $90 million budget and cut wasteful spending. How will this leadership experience affect how you approach the federal budget and the deficit?

Sen. Darline Graham:

At the Commission for the Blind, I managed 10 offices, more than 130 employees, and a $90 million annual budget. We cut waste, streamlined government, and turned a struggling state agency into a national model while providing quality services to the people who depended on us.

Washington could use a lot more of that mindset. Families in South Carolina cannot spend money they do not have forever, and neither should the federal government. I will look at the federal budget the same way I looked at my agency budget and the same way families look at their kitchen table budgets: What do we need? What is wasteful? Where can we do more with less?

I am ready to cut waste, rein in reckless spending, and make government work for the taxpayers again.

Washington Reporter:

You wrote in a Fox News op-ed about your commitment to a secure border and the need for immigrants to come here legally. The Reporter has covered how far-left Democrats like Dick Durbin and AOC are trying to defund ICE and shut down detention centers for criminal illegal aliens. As senator, how will you push back on the defund ICE Democrats?

Sen. Darline Graham:

President Trump has made tremendous progress securing our border, and we cannot allow far-left Democrats to undo it. If you want to come to this country, come legally, follow our laws, and live by our values. That is common sense. ICE agents do an incredibly difficult job enforcing our immigration laws and removing dangerous criminal illegal aliens from our communities. Instead of demonizing or defunding them, Congress should continue giving them the resources and support they need to do their jobs.

Washington Reporter:

Your brother was a leader in fighting to hold Jack Smith accountable for his law fare and operation Arctic Frost that targeted the President and Republicans. Will you carry on that mission as senator, including the legislative work Senator Lindsey Graham focused on to make sure Jack Smith could never commit this type of lawfare again?

Sen. Darline Graham:

Yes. Nobody should be above the law, and that includes the people entrusted with enforcing it. What happened with Jack Smith and Arctic Frost raises serious questions about whether the federal government’s power was weaponized for political purposes. I believe it was. Americans deserve answers, and Congress has a responsibility to make sure it can never happen again. Lindsey fought hard to expose what happened and hold people accountable. I intend to do the same.

Washington Reporter:

South Carolinians are concerned about China’s hacking, China sending fentanyl and illegal vapes to kids, and China’s espionage. What would you prioritize as Senator to keep South Carolina safe from the Chinese Communist Party?

Sen. Darline Graham:

China has repeatedly demonstrated that it is willing to exploit our weaknesses. My priority is protecting Americans here at home. That means securing our critical infrastructure against Chinese cyberattacks, cracking down on espionage and intellectual property theft, stopping CCP-linked entities from gaining access to sensitive American technology and infrastructure, and disrupting the supply chains that help bring fentanyl into our communities. It also means making America stronger. We need to manufacture more here, produce our own energy, secure our supply chains, and stop depending on Communist China for things America can make ourselves.

Washington Reporter:

Senator Graham, thanks as always for talking.