Senator Darline Graham’s acknowledgment at a televised debate this week that she was “not that informed on national security” has magnified her biggest vulnerability in the race to succeed her brother in the Senate, reviving questions about her level of political experience.
Ms. Graham, who most recently led the state’s commission for the blind, had never held elected office when she was tapped last month to finish the term of her brother, the late Senator Lindsey Graham. With President Trump’s backing, she is now running for a full six years.
Her opponent in the Republican primary runoff, Representative Ralph Norman, a five-term member of Congress who has clashed with the president, wrote on social media that “South Carolina deserves a Senator who UNDERSTANDS Foreign Policy.” He has privately expressed confidence about the race to local Republicans.
With early voting already underway ahead of Tuesday’s election, Ms. Graham’s campaign is scrambling to do damage control. On Wednesday, Ms. Graham spoke to voters at a barbecue restaurant, shot guns at a firearms manufacturing plant and appeared on Fox News to defend her performance on the debate stage.
“I don’t speak politician — I was just honest,” Ms. Graham said on Fox, discussing her stumble over a question about the importance of Taiwan to U.S. interests. “Of course Taiwan is our friend. But I think people in South Carolina are more worried about boys in girls’ sports.”
The fallout poses a stark test for Mr. Trump, who endorsed Ms. Graham over a longtime ally in the U.S. House and is now looking to prove his grip on the Republican Party in an election cycle where his status as kingmaker is under scrutiny. Tuesday night, as Ms. Graham faltered during the debate, two of the president’s other picks lost primary elections in Florida House races and a third lost a governor’s primary in Wyoming.
So far Mr. Trump is sticking by Ms. Graham, according to three people familiar with his thinking, who were granted anonymity to discuss private conversations. Mr. Trump plans to rally supporters in Myrtle Beach on Friday on her behalf. He personally called a Republican official in South Carolina after the debate to urge him to attend, a fourth person said.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
The question is whether the president’s efforts can overcome concerns among voters about whether Ms. Graham’s first job in politics should be as a U.S. senator.
Ms. Graham, 62, most recently led the South Carolina Commission for the Blind, where she oversaw a $90 million budget. She previously worked to help people with disabilities find jobs.
But she has sought to turn her outsider status into an asset in a political climate where many voters are seeking candidates untethered from Washington.
Some voters in South Carolina this week said that approach had worked for them and that they viewed Mr. Norman, who had spent more than two decades in politics, as part of a broken system.
“People like Ralph’s conservative stances, but they like that Lindsey’s built a reputation and Darline would step in,” said Chad Connelly, a former chair of the South Carolina Republican Party. He said that the timing of the special primary made it especially unpredictable: “This is an Aug. 25 special election when people are getting their kids back to school, and it is not on anyone’s radar.”
Others were unnerved by her debate performance.
After Michelle Smith, a 40-year-old counselor from Easley, rewatched a clip of Ms. Graham struggling at the debate, she texted her mother and husband.
“I’m concerned that she appeared tripped up a few times,” Ms. Smith wrote in their group chat.
Up until then, Ms. Smith had been leaning toward voting for Ms. Graham. She liked that she had the backing of Mr. Graham’s staff members, who are known for their constituent services, and said Ms. Graham seemed “smart and capable.”
The debate, Ms. Smith said, changed her mind. She still supports Mr. Trump and has been to his rallies, but she added that his endorsement of Ms. Graham had little impact on her vote in this race. She said she cared more about being “battle-ready” in case the Democrats take back Congress or, in two years, the presidency.
“No offense at all to President Trump, I respect anybody that holds that office,” she said. “But Trump does not live in South Carolina, and this is an election particular to South Carolinians.”
Even before the debate, some Republican officials and grass-roots organizers saw Mr. Norman, the vice chair of the ultraconservative Freedom Caucus, as competitive. He has booked almost $1.5 million in ad buys for the last week of the race. PACs supporting Ms. Graham purchased more than twice as much.
At a packed dinner of Republican officials and voters in Anderson Monday night, Ms. Graham defended her limited experience in politics.
“I’m not a politician,” she told them. “Do you know who else wasn’t a politician?”
She paused.
“Donald Trump.”
Hundreds of people feasting on cornbread and meatloaf dropped their forks and clapped.
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