South Carolina write-in campaign challenges Trump-backed Senate nominee

A grassroots campaign urging South Carolina voters to write in Republican Congressman Ralph Norman is exposing divisions within the party ahead of the November 3 Senate election. Senator Darline Graham, the Republican nominee endorsed by President Donald Trump, faces Democratic challenger Annie Andrews in a contest that an October New York Times/Siena College poll put at 48 percent each among likely voters.

Among the write-in effort’s organisers is Avery Milton, a 28-year-old South Carolina native who voted for Trump in the past three presidential elections. Milton told Al Jazeera he felt betrayed by the president’s second term, particularly the decision to launch a war on Iran after promising to avoid new wars. He said similar frustrations were spreading among younger conservatives in his circle who were beginning careers and raising families.

Graham entered the Senate after her older brother, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, died suddenly on July 11. Appointed to complete his term, she became the first sibling to fill a Senate vacancy. She initially presented her appointment as a chance to complete her brother’s work. Days later, Trump encouraged her to seek a full six-year term and promised his endorsement. Graham announced her candidacy on Fox News three days after that appeal.

Her subsequent victory over Norman in the August Republican primary did not resolve the party’s divisions. Norman, who represents South Carolina’s fifth congressional district, has repeatedly declined to campaign alongside her. “You have to earn the vote. She hasn’t done that,” he told The Wall Street Journal. Milton, meanwhile, viewed the rapid move from appointment to candidacy as effectively installing the party’s choice.

Milton said dissatisfaction was especially strong in Upstate South Carolina, where Norman has substantial support. He accused Graham of failing to engage with ordinary voters there beyond private dinners and appearances with Trump. Milton helped establish the Write-In Ralph movement and built its website, saying supporters wanted a senator prepared to evaluate policies independently rather than automatically follow party leaders.

Winning through write-in votes remains unusual. Such votes made up only 0.1 percent of ballots in South Carolina’s 2022 Senate race. Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski achieved a rare write-in victory in 2010 after losing her Republican primary. Even so, Milton said he was prepared to risk a Democratic victory and rejected the assumption that those supporting the write-in effort would otherwise vote for Graham.

Independent voters could also influence the outcome. South Carolina does not register voters by party, but 30 percent of likely voters in the October New York Times/Siena poll identified as independents. Andrews led Graham among that group by 20 percentage points. Regional campaign adviser Leila Ali told Al Jazeera that strategists frequently overlooked the diversity of Southern voters. Nearly 950,000 early ballots had been cast statewide, according to the state Election Commission, a record for a midterm election.

The close contest offers Democrats an opportunity in a state that has not elected a Democratic US senator since 1998. Trump won South Carolina by nearly 18 percentage points in 2024, yet has visited twice in three months to campaign for Graham as she works to consolidate Republican support.