COLUMBIA, S.C. — Republican Sen. Darline Graham and Democratic nominee Annie Andrews took their social media feud to the debate stage Sunday night in their only debate of a South Carolina Senate race that appears to have tightened, The Associated Press reported.
The hourlong debate, three weeks before the general election, covered Iran, the economy and artificial intelligence, but often returned to the personal sniping that has played out in millions of dollars in ads.
Darline Graham was appointed to serve out the term of her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died suddenly in July while seeking a fifth term. She entered the special primary, won Trump’s endorsement, advanced to a runoff and won.
Graham mentioned her support for the president several times, though less stridently than during the primary, the AP reported. Andrews called her “the White House’s ambassador to South Carolina” and said she herself would stand up to her own party when she disagreed.
Andrews also raised Graham’s runoff-debate stumble on a question about Taiwan and the South China Sea, when Graham said, “National security is not my thing.” “If your surgeon said that appendectomies aren’t really his thing, would you still hand him a scalpel?” Andrews said, calling Graham “unserious and unqualified.”
“At least I’m honest. If I don’t know something, I am glad to say it,” Graham replied, accusing Andrews of flip-flopping.
When Andrews suggested Graham was leaning on her maiden name for political advantage, Graham said she had used her husband’s name, Nordone, only on a social media page. “My legal name is Graham, it has always been Graham,” she said, explaining she kept it to stay connected to her late parents.
Outside groups have poured millions into the race on Graham’s behalf, spending the AP said has been described as an “insurance policy” for Republicans.
Sources: KTAR News/AP. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: A. C. Bosselman & Co., New York (publisher) / Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
