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A growing divide within the party is roiling South Carolina’s Senate race as a Republican congressman accuses President Donald Trump of trying to impose his hand-picked candidate on Palmetto State voters.
Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., who lost to Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., in the runoff for the GOP Senate nomination earlier this year, told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that he had no plans to help Graham in the final week before Election Day.
“South Carolina voters are not buying the argument that everyone has to settle for a candidate backed by special interest groups and a Republican president who is spending millions of dollars spreading false narratives about why Darlene (sic) Graham is qualified to be elected to the United States Senate for the next six years,” Norman told Fox News Digital via text message in all caps.
He said the general election “is an attempt to ‘impose’ a candidate on SC voters and whatever the outcome, it didn’t have to be this way because the great people living in South Carolina deserve ‘better!!’ “”
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Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., accuses President Donald Trump of trying to “force” a Senate candidate on South Carolinians. Norman lost the GOP primary for the open Senate seat to Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C. (Eric Lee/Getty Images; Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
“Elections have consequences,” Norman concluded.
It’s a targeted attack on the leader of the Republican Party just a week before voters decide who will control 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 tighter race than expected 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 that his campaign manager asked his chief of staff if he would campaign with her, but that Norman declined.
That’s despite pressure from fellow House Republicans, like Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., who told reporters this week, “As someone who has 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 also defending Graham, saying the Republican Party is united behind her.
“At the end of the day, Republicans are united in defeating Annie Andrews,” Republican National Committee spokesperson Emma Hall told Fox News Digital. “Democratic socialism has no place in South Carolina, and that’s why President Trump is supporting Darline Graham.”
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Norman’s decision comes after a bitter and whirlwind primary in which 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, South Carolina, last week as election forecasters signaled a more competitive race. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report moved the contest from “likely Republican” to “lean Republican” last week.
President Donald Trump listens to Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., during a campaign rally August 21, 2026 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
And Trump isn’t the only one trying to bolster his 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 also leaving Graham. Two former South Carolina governors, Republican David Beasley and Democrat Jim Hodges, reportedly supported Graham’s opponent, Annie Andrews.
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Norman’s son Warren pushed back against Graham in an op-ed for FITS News last week. He wrote that he “would not vote” for the lawmaker and claimed he was leaning toward Andrews.
“As of today, I’m leaning toward her. This will be the first time in my life that I’ve voted for a Democrat in a partisan election,” he wrote.
“I know the concern of many conservatives: Isn’t a vote against Graham a vote for the liberal agenda? I’ve thought about it for a long time. Unfortunately, there is no real conservative to vote for in this election.”
Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., arrives at the House Republican Conference caucus meeting at the Capitol Hill Club in Washington on May 13, 2026. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
Norman previously told “The Nashional Briefing with Kelly Nash” that he would vote for Graham, but not his family.
When reached for comment on Tuesday, the White House directed Fox News Digital to Trump’s comments at his South Carolina rally.
“You have to vote for Darline and the Republicans, and you are going to be happy,” Trump said. “I’m telling you, you’re going to look back years from now. You’re going to say that was truly one of the greatest votes you’ve ever made. A high-quality person, and she’s going to be great.”
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Fox News Digital has reached out for comment on Graham’s campaign.
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