Trump accused of trying to 'force' Senate candidate on voters as GOP feud erupts
A growing intraparty fracture is roiling the South Carolina Senate race as a Republican congressman is accusing President Donald Trump of trying to force his hand-picked candidate on Palmetto State voters.
Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., who lost to Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., in a runoff for the Senate GOP nomination earlier this year, told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that he has no plans to help Graham in the final week before Election Day.
"The voters in S.C. are not buying the argument that everyone has to ‘settle’ for a candidate that has been propped up by special interest groups and a Republican president spending millions of dollars spreading false narratives about why Darlene [sic] Graham is qualified to be elected to the U.S. Senate for the next six years," Norman told Fox News Digital via text message in all capital letters.
He said the general election "is about attempts to ‘force’ a candidate on the voters of S.C. and regardless of the outcome, it didn’t have to be this way as the great people living in South Carolina deserve ‘better!!’"
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"Elections have consequences," Norman ended the message.
It’s a pointed attack at the leader of the Republican Party just a week before voters decide who controls Congress for the final two years of Trump’s presidency.
Graham, who was appointed to replace her brother, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is running a closer-than-expected race in her Republican home state.
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Norman said he would refuse to campaign with or for Graham, no matter who asked him to help. He told Fox News Digital her campaign manager had asked his chief of staff if he would campaign with her, but that Norman refused.
That’s despite pressure from fellow House Republicans like Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., who told reporters this week, "As somebody who carried the conservative banner as long as he has, he should step into the arena," according to Politico. Like Norman, Fry lost his own bid for the GOP nomination for the late senator’s seat.
National Republicans are making the case for Graham, too, arguing that the GOP is united behind her.
"At the end of the day, Republicans are unified on beating Annie Andrews," Republican National Committee spokeswoman Emma Hall told Fox News Digital. "Democrats’ socialism has no place in South Carolina, and that’s why President Trump supports Darline Graham."
Norman’s decision comes after a bitter, whirlwind primary where he ultimately lost to the political novice in August.
Since then, Trump has returned to the Palmetto State to support Graham, holding a rally in Clemson, S.C., last week as election forecasters have signaled a more competitive race. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report shifted the contest from "Likely Republican" to "Lean Republican" last week.
And Trump isn’t the only one trying to boost her candidacy. The Senate Leadership Fund, a political action committee closely aligned with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., pledged $5 million in ad spending in South Carolina earlier this month.
Other big political names in the state are jumping ship from Graham, too. Two former South Carolina governors, Republican David Beasley and Democrat Jim Hodges, are reportedly backing Graham’s opponent, Annie Andrews.
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Norman’s son, Warren, bucked Graham in an op-ed for FITS News last week. He wrote that he would "not be voting" for the lawmaker and contended that he was leaning toward Andrews.
"As of today, I’m leaning her way. It will be the first time in my life I’ve voted for a Democrat in a partisan election," he wrote.
"I know the concern many conservatives will have: isn’t a vote against Graham a vote for the liberal agenda? I’ve thought hard about that. Unfortunately, there is no true conservative to vote for in this election."
Norman previously told "The Nashional Briefing with Kelly Nash" that he would vote for Graham, but his family would not.
When reached for comment on Tuesday, the White House pointed Fox News Digital to Trump’s comments at his South Carolina rally.
"You must vote for Darline and Republicans, and just — you're going to be happy," Trump said. "I tell you, you're going to look back years from now. You're going to say it was truly one of the greatest votes you ever made. High-quality person, and she's going to be great."
Fox News Digital reached out for comment from Graham’s campaign.