Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha anticipated that President Trump’s endorsement of Sen. Darline Graham (R-S.C.) would result in a more decisive victory for her in South Carolina’s GOP Senate runoff. However, Rocha expressed surprise at the narrow margin of victory, noting that Graham secured the Republican nomination by less than 5 points over Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), replacing her late brother, the former Sen. Lindsey Graham. Rocha, who previously advised Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) during his presidential campaigns, stated that while he expects the GOP nominee to face Democrat Annie Andrews in the general election—with Decision Desk HQ projecting an 81 percent chance of a Republican win—he finds the close runoff result indicative of underlying dynamics within the Republican Party.

Rocha highlighted that Trump’s endorsement only yielded approximately 52 percent of the vote for Graham, which he deemed unusual given Trump’s typical strong influence in Republican primaries. He argued that in a Republican primary, Trump should command significantly higher support, suggesting 70 to 80 percent or more. The strategist also pointed out that over 40 percent of voters in the June GOP primary opted for candidates other than the late Lindsey Graham, indicating a divided Republican electorate. Despite these observations, conservative talk show host Mark Davis, appearing on the same program, defended Graham’s victory as a testament to the strength of Trump’s endorsement, emphasizing that she was initially an unknown quantity following Lindsey Graham’s death. Source

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