South Carolina Republicans will choose from nine candidates on Tuesday, August 11, in the latest step towards electing the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s successor on the November ballot to face far-left Democrat Annie Andrews.
A runoff between the top two finishers is all but assured, as candidates in the Palmetto State must attain more than 50 percent of the vote. The runoff is set for August 25.
Polling in the race has varied, but the top three candidates in the race remain steady: Sen. Darline Graham Nordone, Rep. Russell Fry, and Rep. Ralph Norman.
Also in the race are former Rep. Mark Sanford, Duke Buckner, Danny Ford, Mark Lynch, Mark McBride, Glenda Parker, and Samuel Shepherd.
Trafalgar Group polled the race in late July, finding Graham Nordone ahead of Fry and Norman by a 10-point margin, 27 percent to 17.4 percent for each of the sitting members of Congress.
Similarly, a co/efficient poll found Graham Nordone leading with 30 percent, compared to 16 percent for Fry and 15 percent for Norman, also in late July.
Over 61,000 votes were cast during the early voting period last week.
Campaign ad spending by aligned super PACs reached at least $4.2 million according to AdImpact, most of which has been in support of Fry and Graham Nordone.
Palmetto Leadership Fund has spent over $1 million on Fry’s behalf, with a similar amount in support of the Trump-endorsed Graham Nordone by a Palmetto Action and Security is Strength PAC.
Gubernatorial nominee Attorney General Alan Wilson took an active role in hosting forums across the state and encourage Republican voters to focus on the stakes of the General Election.
Earlier this month Wilson said:
The Democrats have assembled the most radical statewide ticket in state history. Socialism has become alarmingly mainstream, and the national Democrat Party is seeking to bring that failed roadmap here: one of bigger government, higher taxes, and policies that put bureaucrats ahead of families, criminals ahead of victims, and ideology ahead of common sense. While Republicans may vary slightly in our approaches, we’re all in agreement that our conservative perspective of putting families first and protecting our freedoms is the better alternative than what’s being offered by the Left.
Polling places in South Carolina are open from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. tomorrow.
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