Norman carries Laurens County as he and Graham head to Aug. 25 runoff

Laurens County Republicans backed U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman over appointed Sen. Darline Graham in Tuesday’s special primary for the U.S. Senate seat left open by the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, and both candidates will be back on the ballot in two weeks.

Graham and Norman advanced to a runoff Tuesday night after neither reached the majority needed to win the special primary outright, according to race calls by The Associated Press and national decision desks. The runoff is set for Tuesday, Aug. 25.

Norman led the field in Laurens County with 1,864 votes, or 34.3%, ahead of Graham’s 1,533 votes, or 28.2%, according to unofficial county returns. U.S. Rep. Russell Fry finished third locally with 710 votes, or 13.1%, followed by former Gov. Mark Sanford with 698 votes, or 12.8%, and businessman Mark Lynch with 523 votes, or 9.6%. The five remaining candidates split the rest. A total of 5,439 ballots were cast in the county.

Statewide, the picture reversed. Darline Graham, the late senator’s sister, led the 10-candidate field but fell well short of 50% plus one, the threshold South Carolina requires to avoid a second round. Norman held off Fry for the second runoff spot in a contest that stayed close through much of the count.

Unofficial statewide results from the State Election Commission showed the following totals:

Darline Graham, 109,582 votes, 32.7%
Ralph Norman, 82,523 votes, 24.6%
Russell Fry, 65,732 votes, 19.6%
Mark Sanford, 50,001 votes, 14.9%
Mark Lynch, 19,857 votes, 5.9%
Danny Ford II, 2,844 votes, 0.8%
Duke Buckner, 1,580 votes, 0.5%
Glenda Gail Parker, 1,021 votes, 0.3%
Sam Shepherd, 929 votes, 0.3%
Mark McBride, 801 votes, 0.2%

Results remain unofficial until the state certifies them Friday. Just over 11% of the state’s registered voters took part.

Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Darline Graham in July to serve the remainder of her brother’s term following his death, and she entered the race for a full six-year term with President Donald Trump’s endorsement. She is the first woman to represent South Carolina in the Senate and had not held elected office before the appointment.

Norman, who has represented the 5th Congressional District since 2017, finished third in the Republican primary for governor in June before entering the Senate race weeks later. He has campaigned on his legislative record and fiscal conservatism. His strength across Upstate counties, including Laurens, carried him past Fry, who ran best in the Grand Strand and the rest of the 7th District he represents.

Sanford, a former governor and six-term congressman, conceded Tuesday night. Lynch said he will support Norman in the runoff.

The winner on Aug. 25 becomes the Republican nominee on the November ballot and will face Democrat Annie Andrews, a Charleston pediatrician who won her party’s primary in June.

Eligibility rules for the runoff follow the same pattern as the first round. Voters who cast a ballot in the June 2026 Democratic primary are not eligible to vote in the Aug. 25 Republican runoff. Voters who participated in the Aug. 11 special Republican primary, the June Republican primary, or who did not vote in June may take part. Party registration is not required in South Carolina, but voters may participate in only one party’s primary process per election cycle.

Early voting for the runoff runs Wednesday, Aug. 19, through Friday, Aug. 21. In Laurens County, the only early voting center is the Laurens County Voter Registration and Elections Office at 105 Bolt Drive in Laurens. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. each of the three days. Any registered Laurens County voter eligible for the runoff may vote there, regardless of precinct.

Polls on Election Day will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and voters must go to their assigned precinct. Voters should bring a photo ID for early voting and on Election Day.

Because schools are in session, two Laurens County precincts will again use temporary locations for the runoff. The Hickory Tavern Precinct will vote at Chestnut Ridge Baptist Church rather than Hickory Tavern School, and the Wattsville Precinct will vote at The Ridge of Laurens rather than Ford Elementary School. The changes apply to these elections only.

Voters can confirm their registration status and look up their assigned polling place through the MyscVOTES portal at https://vrems.scvotes.sc.gov/Voter/Login. Those with additional questions can contact the Laurens County Voter Registration and Elections Office at 105 Bolt Drive in Laurens.