Trump to rally in Rock Hill to support Graham in tightening SC Senate race

President Donald Trump is scheduled to hold a rally in Rock Hill on Thursday afternoon to campaign for Senate candidate Darline Graham. This will be his second rally in South Carolina within eight days as the race for the state's Senate seat tightens before the Nov. 3 general election.

Graham was selected by Trump to replace her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died in July. She faces Democratic nominee Dr. Annie Andrews in a contest that has become more competitive than initially projected. Two third-party candidates, Constitution candidate Mark Hackett and Libertarian candidate Kasie Whitener, are also on the ballot.

Trump’s previous rally took place in the Upstate region, a collection of red counties that Graham lost in the special primary and runoff elections. He is now targeting York County, the home of 5th District Congressman Ralph Norman. Norman lost to Graham by five points in the August runoff and has stated he will not publicly campaign for her, although he supports the Republican ticket.

Norman told Fox News that many South Carolina voters are not accepting the idea that they must settle for Graham. His son, Warren, said he will vote for Andrews instead. Andrews held a get-out-the-vote rally in Rock Hill on Wednesday and referred to Warren as a new friend, noting they met for a beer before her event.

Andrews told the crowd that the campaign is about bringing people together. She argued that moving forward as a state requires remembering that there is far more that unites residents than divides them.

State Republican leaders are urging voters to prioritize unity. 7th District Congressman Russell Fry, who placed third in the August special primary, called on Norman to campaign for Graham at his annual Freedom Fry fundraiser. He hopes high turnout will benefit down-ballot races, including state House contests. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who headlined the Myrtle Beach event, also urged Norman to line up with the party.

Cruz told Fry at the fundraiser that it would be easy to be petulant after losing a vigorous contest, but that Fry is standing up to fight because he cares about South Carolina and the country.

Polls released this week show the race is close. A Citadel Poll released late Tuesday gave Graham a four-point lead, a margin just outside the error range. The poll cited Trump’s recent Upstate visit as a factor. A New York Times/Siena Poll released Wednesday showed Graham and Andrews virtually tied, suggesting the previous visit did not provide a large enough boost.

State GOP Chairman Drew McKissick acknowledged in an interview Monday that the race will be close. He said Trump’s visit puts him in front of voters in a critical area and keeps him visible in neighboring North Carolina and Georgia, where Republican Senate candidates are lagging in polls. McKissick said the goal is to reach low-propensity voters who typically only vote in presidential years.

More than 671,000 South Carolina voters have already cast early ballots. Early voting ends Saturday.