A little over a week ago, inside the Newberry Opera House, a sitting U.S. senator was asked whether Taiwan and the South China Sea are national security issues for the United States. Not exactly a curveball question. Darline Graham, at a South Carolina Republican primary debate, swung and missed—and even hit herself with the bat.
It was perhaps the clearest sign that Graham, unlike her late brother Lindsey, is a political outsider. She asked for the question to be repeated, then gave an answer that never would have left the lips of her brother, who she was appointed to replace in the Senate. "I'm not that informed on national security." Her hometown crowd booed in a Southern drawl.
Not a good sign, as South Carolina Republicans finish voting Tuesday on whether to make her their nominee for a full six-year term. Some recent polls put Graham in a dead heat with Representative Ralph Norman, a five-term congressman, for the nomination. Nepotism is, of course, the obvious explanation for her sudden rise.
Graham holds the seat because her brother died in July and President Donald Trump—his close friend and fierce political ally—recommended her to Governor Henry McMaster, who appointed her within 48 hours. She had never run for any office before. But that misses a stranger thing exposed by this runoff.
Just look at what both candidates claim to be. Graham's opponent, Norman, is a Freedom Caucus member endorsed by Senators Rick Scott and Mike Lee and by former Senator Jim DeMint. His closing ad says the establishment has already picked its candidate.
So, Graham, according to Norman, is no outsider, despite her lack of political experience or, apparently, knowledge of national security issues. She’s straight from the inside. And you can see why he says that.
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