Trump backs Darline Graham with $5M Senate seat boost

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Republicans are desperate to save the US Senate seat in South Carolina formerly held by the late Lindsey Graham. The party has allocated an additional $5 million in South Carolina to spend on behalf of Darline Graham, Lindsey's sister, who was appointed to fill his seat after his sudden death in July. Although some expected her to fill the seat just on an interim basis, Darline then went on to top a primary and then win a primary runoff for the seat.

The influx of cash to Graham is being sent as an 'insurance policy,' per Axios, to keep a seat in Republicans' hands that Lindsey had always won by more than 10 percent. An InsiderAdvantage poll conducted at the end of September had Graham up by one point.

President Donald Trump is backing Darline wholeheartedly and has unleashed a shocking new nickname for the Democrat battling her in the Palmetto State. He also held a rally for her in the primary and has pledged to return before the general election.

On Monday, Trump used a transgender slur to tear into South Carolina physician and Democratic nominee Annie Andrews in a blistering Truth Social post while throwing his weight behind Darline. Trump dubbed the Charleston doctor 'Annie 'Trannie' Andrews' – using a derogatory term for transgender people despite Andrews not being transgender.

David Beasley, a former Republican governor of South Carolina, called Trump's remarks 'abhorrent,' in a post on X, before adding: 'Elections don't have to be about cruelty and lies. South Carolina deserves better,' and encouraging voters to 'reject politics based on division and hate.'

President Donald Trump hailed Graham as a 'High Quality person, maybe the Highest,' in his Monday night Truth post, before claiming her Democratic rival was anything but. Trump accused Andrews of backing 'Transgender for Everyone, Open Borders, Defunding the Police, High Taxes, a Weak Military,' and efforts to strip Americans of their guns.

'Trannie is not for South Carolina, and South Carolina must show, in the upcoming Election, that it is not for her. VOTE FOR DARLINE GRAHAM,' Trump declared.

Andrews fired back by steering the fight toward kitchen-table issues and her experience as a mother and pediatrician. In an interview with Forbes, Andrews noted last month that she didn't 'support biological men playing in women's sports,' and added that she doesn't 'support, and has never performed gender surgery on minors.'

'As a mom and a pediatrician, I'm in this race to fight for my patients, my three kids, and South Carolina,' Andrews told the Daily Mail. 'And I'm going to work with anyone to put South Carolina first, because lowering costs and making life better for families across our state is going to take all of us working together. If you care more about your bills than the politics in Washington, this campaign is for you.'

Andrews cruised through the Democratic primary in June after launching her campaign to take on Lindsey Graham.

The death of Senator Lindsey Graham changed everything for the race and pushed Darline Graham to shift her focus toward Republicans trying to fill his shoes. Donald Trump labeled Andrews a "trannie" in a Truth Social post on Monday night. That label came right after Darline Graham emerged as the winner, beating Congressman Ralph Norman in an August runoff following a massive 10-way Republican primary. Governor Henry McMaster appointed Graham to finish her brother's term while Trump pushed her to run for the seat outright. He quickly endorsed her and joined the campaign trail supporting her in South Carolina last week. Democrats still face a steep uphill battle since South Carolina has not sent a Democrat to the Senate since 1956. Yet Andrews stands out among Democrats showing surprising signs of life in deep-red territory as Republicans grow nervous about the midterms. GOP insiders worry soaring energy costs could hurt the party at the ballot box and endanger its congressional majorities. Still, Republican groups have plenty of cash and are spending millions more than Democrats in several races. They hold huge advertising advantages in states including Ohio, Texas, Iowa, Alaska, and Kansas according to AdImpact. Trump has dismissed his dropping approval ratings as fake. He insists he could beat any opponent today by 20 points while accusing pollsters of being almost as corrupt as the writers.