President Trump made a personal pitch to South Carolinians on Friday, urging them to back Sen. Darline Graham in the Republican runoff primary election next week in what has become a high-profile test of his powers to sway GOP voters.
"She only knows how to put America first," Trump said at a rally in Myrtle Beach, S.C., on Friday. "You vote for her, you're going to be very proud of that vote."
Graham, appointed to fill the seat of her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, in July, has been the favorite because of Trump's backing. Trump told supporters that he believed Graham "respected Darline more than any other person he knows-including me."
"That does not make me happy. I'm not happy about that," he added.
Graham finished first in the initial special primary earlier this month, advancing to Tuesday's runoff with Rep. Ralph Norman, a member of the House Freedom Caucus who has run as a tested conservative.
But Graham stumbled in a debate this past week against Norman. When asked whether Taiwan and the South China Sea are U.S. national-security issues, Graham said she wasn't an expert on national security.
"I'm just going to be honest here...I'm not a polished politician up here. National security is not my thing, not my area of expertise, but I do support the military," said Graham.
She also misstated the population of her state, saying "there's 50 million people in South Carolina." The state's population is roughly 5.6 million.
When questioned about the debate at a campaign event the next day, Graham said she would learn and become informed on the matter. She has gone on a variety of news shows to defend the blunder. She told Fox News's Sean Hannity she tripped up during the debate and knows that China is an enemy and Taiwan is a friend. She added that voters she met that day appreciated the fact she was honest.
Supporters of Norman seized on the blunder. Rep. Nancy Mace (R., S.C.) compared the remark to "applying to be a lifeguard and saying water isn't your thing" on her podcast Thursday.
Asked about Graham's debate performance, Trump told reporters Friday that Graham was "being honest. She's into the price of groceries, the price of beef...and she said she's totally for the military.... I thought it was an honest answer."
Trump is in need of a win. While his endorsement remains powerful and he succeeded in pushing out several disfavored Republicans this cycle, more than a half dozen candidates he endorsed have lost in recent House and governor races. No Trump-endorsed Senate candidate has lost a primary this cycle.
In the initial special primary earlier this month, Graham won more than 32% of the vote, while Norman finished second with just under 25%, in a crowded field of more than half a dozen GOP candidates.
The winner of the contest between Graham and Norman will face the Democratic nominee, Annie Andrews, in November. South Carolina hasn't elected a Democratic senator since 1998 and the seat is expected to remain in GOP hands.
Graham, 62, previously ran South Carolina's Commission for the Blind. Trump helped orchestrate her appointment by the state's governor, then publicly urged her to seek the full term and endorsed her.
Lindsey Graham was a defense and foreign policy hawk during his time in the Senate. Darline Graham has said she would be more focused on domestic politics and affordability.
In the Senate, she introduced a Russia sanctions bill renamed for her brother and co-sponsored an election integrity bill that is a key priority of the president's. She has deferred to Trump on foreign policy, saying she fully trusts him on the Iran war.
Norman, 73, was first elected in a 2017 special election in his northern South Carolina district. He first ran for governor this cycle, finishing third in a June Republican primary and failing to advance to the runoff, before throwing his hat into the Senate special election after Lindsey Graham's death.
Norman's campaign didn't respond to requests for comment.