9 Senate candidates make stump speeches to voters ahead of SC GOP special primary

LEXINGTON — Four days before the start of early voting, Republican hopefuls seeking the party’s nomination for the U.S. Senate seat previously held by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham made their pitch to voters at a Lexington County high school.

More than 400 attendees filed into the auditorium of River Bluff High School Saturday to hear from the crowded slate of nine candidates:

• Walterboro attorney Duke Buckner
• U.S. Rep. Russell Fry, who represents the 7th Congressional District
• Sen. Darline Graham, sister of the late Lindsey Graham
• Spartanburg businessman Mark Lynch
• former Myrtle Beach Mayor Mark McBride
• U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, who represents the 5th Congressional District
• retired Air Force officer Glenda Gail Parker
• former congressman and Gov. Mark Sanford
• Lexington County scientist and inventor Sam Shepherd

Candidates spoke separately, with the order predetermined through a drawing Friday. Each had 6 minutes to make a campaign speech and answered one question from a high school student.

Nearly all the candidates used part of their time to stress their support of the Trump administration’s crackdown on people living in the country illegally. They also talked about the need to rein in federal spending, which appealed to attendees.

Only two candidates pushed back against the Trump administration by opposing how it’s handled the war in Iran.

Sanford said the president should come to Congress to ask for permission. McBride said he thinks the United States needs to get out entirely.

That would be a sharp contrast to Lindsey Graham, who touted his influence on Trump’s decision to attack Iran.

Norman took a more Graham-like approach, calling for a well-funded military and peace through strength.

Shepherd said the U.S. should not be providing humanitarian aid to other countries but also said he supported Israeli troops in the Israel-Hamas war.

Buckner said he wants to ban all foreign nationals from owning land in the United States and thinks people should have to show proof of citizenship before buying a house or renting an apartment.

Following the event, 265 attendees participated in a straw poll. The top vote-getters were Darline Graham, with 25% of the vote; Fry, with 23%; and Norman, with 20%.

Viewers statewide can watch five of the candidates who met the state GOP’s polling criteria debate Monday night.

Voters’ takeaways

For Neil Derrick, a 74-year-old retired personal fitness business owner from Columbia, it’s Darline Graham who has risen to the top. Sworn in July 14 to fulfill the remainder of her brother’s fourth term, which ends in January, Graham decided to enter the race for the next six-year term at the urging of President Donald Trump.

2 SC congressmen launch bids for US Senate, as Darline Graham says ‘I’m in’

“She was thrust into this position,” Derrick said, but she answered the call.

Derrick thinks she stands the best chance of following in the steps of her older brother, who died unexpectedly of a ruptured aorta on July 11 in Washington, D.C.

Derrick said he didn’t always agree with the late senator.

“But he was solid, whether you liked him or not,” Derrick said.

He noted that Darline Graham has the support of her brother’s longtime staffers, who remain in the office.

That wasn’t enough, however, to sway Melodie Ingwersen.

“We don’t really know her personality,” Ingwersen said of Darline Graham.

Instead, the 75-year-old former toy shop owner from Columbia is leaning toward supporting Norman.

“It comes down to who can carry the weight of the job,” she said. “Norman already has experience in Congress. Plus, he hasn’t been there forever, so he’s still in tune with South Carolina.”

Norman, of Rock Hill, has represented the 5th District since 2017. Anchored in York County, the district covers the fast-growing Charlotte suburbs south to Kershaw and parts of Sumter County.

Ingwersen’s greatest concerns are the growing size of the national budget and passage of the SAVE America Act, which adds voter ID requirements nationwide and requires proof of citizenship when registering to vote. Lindsey Graham co-sponsored and advocated for the measure, which has stalled in the U.S. Senate after passing the House.

It was the first measure Darline Graham signed on to after being sworn in. And Norman has made its passage a central part of his message.

Like REAL ID, a federal bill could require proof of identity. Here’s how to get the documents in SC.

“It’s so important to have someone who can make grounded, wise decisions, not just sound bites,” Ingwersen said.

Leigh Parker, a 59-year-old business analyst from Aiken, said she voted for Lynch in his run against Lindsey Graham and she’s sticking with him in the special primary.

It’s Lynch’s embrace of Christianity following a battle with addiction that has earned her support.

“If we don’t come back to Christian values, nothing can save us,” she said.

Many others walked away from the event still undecided.

That included Scott Reagan, a 45-year-old software salesman from Lexington, who said he was still trying to make up his mind between two or three candidates.

Aiken County Republican Party Secretary Denise Brown and her husband, Joe Brown, said they came in weighing their choice between two candidates, but after hearing from some of the lesser-known people in the race, their list expanded to three or four.

The Browns said the economy, immigration and government spending and oversight are top issues for them.

The event was co-hosted by the state GOP, Republican gubernatorial nominee Alan Wilson, and the Lexington One school district’s Center for Law and Global Policy.

Watch the candidates

The five candidates selected for Monday’s televised debate are Fry, Darline Graham, Lynch, Norman and Sanford. The one-hour debate starts at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast and streamed live across Gray Media stations in the state.

Chairman Drew McKissick said it gives voters statewide a chance to hear directly from the leading candidates.

“As Republicans consider who should represent us on the ballot and represent South Carolina in the U.S. Senate for the next six years, it’s critical that they have an opportunity to compare the candidates on the issues and how they communicate their ideas to the public,” he said in a statement.

The special primary is Aug. 11, with a runoff likely on Aug. 25.

A three-day window of early voting starts Wednesday.

The winner of the contest will face Democrat Annie Andrews in November.