Darline Graham and Rep. Ralph Norman have advanced to a runoff in South Carolina’s Republican special Senate primary, according to the Associated Press, setting up the next stage of the contest to replace the late Sen. Lindsey Graham.

Because no Republican candidate secured more than 50% of Tuesday’s vote, Graham and Norman will compete in a runoff two weeks from now. Rep. Russell Fry, former Gov. and former Rep. Mark Sanford, and several other candidates failed to advance. The primary took place exactly one month after the longtime senator unexpectedly died at age 71.

The runoff represents another important test of President Donald Trump’s influence within the Republican Party, particularly the effectiveness of his endorsements in GOP primary contests. Trump endorsed Darline Graham, the late senator’s younger sister, in the race. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Graham last month to serve out the remainder of her brother’s current Senate term, which expires at the end of the year.

Graham said after casting her ballot Tuesday that she entered the race to help “President Trump get his agenda passed.”

Norman, who earlier this year unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for governor in the contest to replace term-limited Gov. Henry McMaster, is a strong Trump ally in the House. Fry, a two-term congressman, has likewise positioned himself as a supporter of the president during his Senate campaign.

Sanford entered the race with a different political profile. The former governor and congressman briefly challenged Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in 2020 but failed to gain traction. Sanford has long been identified with fiscal conservatism and made the country’s growing debt a central reason for seeking a Senate seat.

The Republican field was crowded, also featuring businessman Mark Lynch, who had previously challenged Lindsey Graham and lost to him by nearly 30 percentage points in the June Republican Senate primary.

The outcome underscores that a Trump endorsement is not necessarily a guarantee of victory, even in deeply Republican South Carolina.

Trump had previously endorsed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette in the Republican gubernatorial primary to determine who would succeed McMaster, who is barred by term limits from seeking another term. The primary was held in early June.

Evette finished as the leading vote-getter in that primary but was decisively defeated by South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson in the subsequent runoff. Trump had also endorsed Wilson shortly before the runoff, giving him support in addition to his earlier backing of Evette.

The Republican nominee emerging from the Senate runoff in two weeks is expected to enter the general election as the clear favorite against Democratic nominee Annie Andrews, a pediatrician.

The race will ultimately determine who completes the next chapter of the Senate seat long held by Lindsey Graham, while also providing another indication of how much weight Trump’s backing carries with Republican voters heading into the 2026 midterm elections.