South Carolina Republican and House Liberal member Ralph Norman is considering challenging Sen. Lindsey Graham in the 2026 Republican primary for the Senate, according to Politico.
Graham, who has been in the Senate since 2003 and has repeatedly defeated primary challengers, was booed by former President Donald Trump’s voters at his July 1 rally. Conservatives now see an opportunity for another Republican congressional seat in 2026 and are discussing a potential run with Mr. Norman, a source familiar with the matter. Said Politico.
“Mr. Norman has not ruled out anything, but we have not yet decided anything about future elections,” a spokesperson for Mr. Norman told the Daily Caller News Foundation in a statement. “He remains steadfast in his service to the Fifth District of the South Carolina House of Representatives and will do everything in his power to restore fiscal health and conservative values ​​to Congress.”
Conservatives have grown frustrated with Mr Graham’s moderate stance on important issues and his recent staunch support for Ukraine in its war with Russia, according to Politico, with some Trump supporters saying the senator is not loyal.
Politico said the South Carolina natives were at an event together and Norman endorsed Graham in the 2019 Senate primary. Graham went on to defeat three Republican primary challengers in 2020. according to To Greenville News.
“No one has done more to ratify President Trump’s conservative justices and help rebuild the military than Lindsey Graham. That’s why we need to re-elect Lindsay Graham to the U.S. Senate,” Norman said. Said In 2019, according to Greenville News.
According to Politico, Graham also defeated current Republican Nancy Mace in the 2014 Senate primary, but no previous Republican challenger to the senator had as high a profile as Norman. (Related: Lindsey Graham jeers mercilessly during local Trump rally)
WASHINGTON, DC – July 14: Rep. Ralph Norman (R-South Carolina) speaks with members of the House Liberals at a press conference on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Graham endorsed Trump in 2024 because he was “a good president,” but was a vocal opponent of then-candidate’s candidacy in 2016, arguing that “if they nominate Donald Trump, the Republican Party will self-destruct and deserve it.”
Norman did not endorse the former president in the 2024 primary, instead endorsing former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley when she announced her candidacy in February.
Graham served as a state legislator before becoming a senator and won a seat in the United States House of Representatives in the late 1990s. according to Go to Ballotpedia. NormanCurrently running for re-election in 2024, he has been in Congress since 2017 when he won a special election to replace outgoing Rep. Mick Mulvaney, and previously served as a member of the South Carolina legislature.
Graham did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
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