Trump rallies support for Republicans in pre-election visit to deeply red Upstate

PENDLETON — President Donald Trump rallied in the Upstate to boost GOP support for U.S. Sen. Darline Graham’s campaign, while discounting polls suggesting the seat her late brother held for almost 24 years could flip blue.

The race between Graham and Democrat Annie Andrews shouldn’t be close, he told thousands of supporters in a county he won by 47 percentage points two years ago.

Trump acknowledged that polls show otherwise by jokingly asking if he was in the right state: “Are you sure this is South Carolina?”

The rally came a day after the nonpartisan Cook Political Report shifted the race from “likely Republican” to “lean Republican,” and Andrews launched a “Republicans for Annie” coalition she said consisted of more than 100 Republicans in South Carolina.

“I’m not a believer in the pollsters. I really am not,” Trump said.

“Nov. 3 is the only pollster that counts,” he said, telling rallygoers “you have to go out and vote for Darline Graham. She’s you. She’s solid.”

But Andrews, he said, is a “radical left lunatic.” He pointed to her F rating from the NRA to mean “she wants to take your guns away.” Andrews, a pediatrician, is a former volunteer for the Moms Demand Action gun safety group and paid adviser for its affiliate, Everytown for Gun Safety.

He also hammered Andrews’ advocacy at the Statehouse opposing legislation barring hormone treatments and puberty blockers for transgender minors. He falsely accused her of supporting “mutilation” of children. And he again referred to her using a slur for transgender people, repeating what he wrote in a social media post earlier this month.

The rally inside Clemson University’s T. Ed Garrison Arena was only a few miles from Graham’s hometown of Central, where she and Lindsey Graham grew up in the back room of a restaurant and pool hall owned by their parents, who died 15 months apart when she was 13. Part of her campaign message is that she can relate to struggling American families.

“This area, and most importantly, its values are ingrained in me: God, family, country,” Graham said on stage. “Those are our values, and I want to take them to a place that’s desperately needed: the United States Senate.”

Other Republicans who took the stage included South Carolina’s now-senior U.S. senator, Tim Scott; U.S. Rep. Sheri Biggs of the 3rd District (where the rally was held); Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, a South Carolina native; and Cody Simpson, the GOP nominee for agriculture commissioner.

Gov. Henry McMaster, who’s leaving office in January, called Graham “one of us.” It was McMaster who appointed her to fulfill her brother’s fourth term, which ends in January. She jumped into the race for the next term with Trump’s encouragement and endorsement.

She again thanked him for that.

“Thank you so much for coming to South Carolina. I am so honored to have your endorsement,” she said. “You are one of Lindsey’s dearest friends. You will always be part of the Graham family.”

Graham’s supporters on stage also included a former opponent, U.S. Rep. Russell Fry of the 7th District, who placed third in the special GOP primary in August.

But GOP infighting from that primary continues. Trump rallied in a region of the state won by Graham’s runoff opponent, 5th District Rep. Ralph Norman. He took all 12 counties in the deeply red Upstate, while Graham won the state’s 34 other counties. Graham needs Norman’s Upstate supporters to come out and vote for her.

But some of Norman’s supporters are encouraging Republicans to write his name on the ballot instead of voting for Graham. Norman was not at the rally and made clear during a radio interview earlier Wednesday that he refuses to help her campaign. He’ll still vote for her, since he promised to support the GOP nominee, he said on “The Nashional Briefing with Kelly Nash.”

However, he said, “My family is not going to vote for Darline Graham. They’re just not.” He contends the contest wouldn’t be close if he was the nominee.

Biggs alluded to the intra-party spat by urging Republicans to come together and vote for Graham, likening the party to a “big family” that doesn’t always agree.

“Sometimes we even squabble a little bit,” she said. “But when it’s time to vote, we need to stand together, and we need to send Republicans back to Washington to finish the job that President Trump started.”

Trump invited two sports celebrities on stage: championship boxer Evander Holyfield and professional golfer Jacob Bridgeman, a Clemson graduate.

Giving people another reason to vote, Trump reiterated his pledge to give every adult U.S. citizen $5,000. Congress would have to approve that. And that can only happen if Republicans win, he told the audience.

The money will come through tariffs, he said, which Democrats want to stop.

The widely criticized promise is expected to cost more than $1 trillion. Recognizing that people don’t believe the payment will actually happen, Trump pointed to the $1,776 one-time bonus that went to active-duty military last December.

As he did at his Myrtle Beach rally for Graham ahead of the GOP runoff, Trump told attendees to pretend he’s on the ballot.

But Trump’s backing doesn’t automatically win support for Graham, even among people lining up for the rally.

Gary Hawkins said he was there to see Trump.

“It means a lot that he took the time to come to Upstate South Carolina. This is a red state, red county, and I believe he stands up for the values in our community,” said the 52-year-old from Anderson attending his first Trump rally. “So, I’m here to support that.”

But he’s not sure he’ll vote for Graham.

“She just fell into place because of who her brother is,” Hawkins said.

Others thought Trump’s visit will increase turnout among GOP voters and help Graham win.

“I hope they will. I think they will, partially because President Trump supports her so much,” said Amy Rozelle, a speech pathologist from Spartanburg.

Jennifer Lewis, also from Spartanburg, said she’s been a Trump supporter for years, “and it is amazing for him to be in our neighborhood.”

She was going to vote for the GOP nominees anyway, she said, adding “I also trust Trump’s recommendations as well.”

Gabriel Brey, who came from North Augusta with his 8-month-old daughter, said he wasn’t going to miss out on the “pep rally for adults.” He noted the rareness of a presidential visit in South Carolina ahead of a general election.

“It’s not historically a battleground state,” he said. “We wanted our baby to see a president for the first time.”

Ahead of Trump’s visit, Andrews’ campaign put out a statement welcoming him to the state.

“I hope he hears directly from the families, farmers, and workers who are paying more every month for groceries, gas, diesel, and health care, with the war in Iran driving prices even higher,” she said in the statement.

She also accused Graham of not having the “backbone” to stand up to Trump.

“Sen. Graham must do more than play politics — she needs to fight for South Carolina,” she said. “She’s asking President Trump to help her win an election, but she needs to ask him to end this war and lower costs for the families she represents.”

On Iran, Trump praised last year’s Operation Midnight Hammer and said “we’re close” to ending the war that began Feb. 28 with joint U.S. and Israeli air strikes.

Trump’s roughly 90-minute speech was briefly interrupted several times by protesters who yelled out, but they were quickly escorted outside.

The president praised officers’ speed: “Your law enforcement is fantastic! Man, they are so fast!” he said.