Representative Ralph Norman, a longtime lawmaker aligned with the hard-line conservative wing of his party, faces four other candidates in a special Republican Senate primary election to succeed Lindsey Graham, who died last month.
Here are five things to know about Mr. Norman, 73, a five-term congressman from the South Carolina suburbs of Charlotte, N.C.
1. He lost a race for governor this year. Mr. Norman came in third place in the Republican primary in June, behind Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and Alan Wilson, the state’s attorney general. (Mr. Wilson later defeated Ms. Evette in a runoff.) Running for governor gave Mr. Norman statewide name recognition and made it easier to run a compressed campaign for the Senate, after Mr. Graham’s death, since he had already spent plenty of time campaigning across the state. He did well in the governor’s race in several upstate counties, including Greenville County, which is rich in Republican voters.
2. He endorsed Nikki Haley for president in 2024. Mr. Norman backed Ms. Haley, the former South Carolina governor, over President Trump in the Republican presidential primary. Mr. Norman has described Ms. Haley as a friend and said he told Mr. Trump in advance about his plan to endorse one of his opponents. But supporting Ms. Haley may have cost Mr. Norman an endorsement from Mr. Trump in the governor’s race and again in the special Senate primary.
3. He is the vice chairman of the House Freedom Caucus. Mr. Norman is perhaps best known for being a member of the ultraconservative group of House members that has opposed spending bills and staunchly supported Mr. Trump’s immigration crackdown.
4. He has promised to be “very vocal” in the Senate. Mr. Norman, like his rivals, has campaigned for the Senate in part on supporting the SAVE America Act, a voting restrictions bill that Mr. Trump has made a priority of his domestic agenda. Mr. Norman has described the Senate as “deadlocked” and said getting legislation to move in the chamber again will require more stalwart conservatives to vote as they do in the House.
5. He has been a real estate developer for four decades. Mr. Norman joined his father’s construction business out of college and helped grow it into a large commercial real estate operation.
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