By admin 
South Carolina voters had a chance to see where +a handful of Republican U.S. Senate candidates stand on President Donald Trump, affordability and the war in Iran with just more than a week to go before the special election day to replace Lindsey Graham on the November ballot.
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Only U.S. Reps. Russell Fry and Ralph Norman, U.S. Sen. Darline Graham, Upstate businessman Mark Lynch and former governor and congressman Mark Sanford were selected for the televised debate.
The state Republican Party sponsored debate was held in the Gray Media studio in Columbia and had no studio audience.
Here are five takeaways from Monday’s debate evening debate.
Contenders talk affordability and national spending
Affordability and driving down government spending was a major talking point for every candidate. Fry and Graham spoke about their personal experiences growing up without a lot of money, and Lynch told viewers about building a family business.
“I’m not a politician, I’m not a millionaire,” Graham said, repeating a line from last weekend’s forum that she is a bargain shopper.
When candidates were asked about how they would make life more affordable, Norman said prices will come down following the war in Iran.
“When the war is over, prices will come down, and I think he [President Donald Trump] will make it more affordable just with his policies in general,” Norman said.
Fry said power bills were a source of stress for families, and the U.S. should prioritize producing more energy.
For Sanford, tackling the national debt has been a marquee issue for his congressional campaigns. He said Monday both parties had a “spending problem” in Washington, D.C.
“You can’t say I completely agree with the president on all matters and not see the spending problem that is in D.C.,” Sanford said. “Republicans have been bad on it, and Democrats have been bad on it.”
To lower the national debt, candidates advocated cutting government spending.
Will candidates align with Trump?
All five candidates said they agreed with Trump, though the extent differed.
Graham said she “completely supports the president” and flexed Trump’s endorsement at least twice early on. In answering questions on everything from affordability to immigration, Graham said she would work with and backed Trump.
Fry and Norman, both current congressman, also supported Trump and said they would continue to work with the president. Norman added Trump likes competing ideas, and Fry said the president has an “open-door policy.” Lynch said he would go to Trump with any disagreements.
“He is the coach, and I think in Congress it is frustrating for our conservative voters to constantly see people grandstand and jump up and down and oppose him,” Fry said.
Sanford said when he served in Congress, he agreed with Trump “overwhelmingly.” The former governor said he was not afraid to disagree with the president, however, on spending or constitutional issues, including the necessity of Congress authorizing war.
“You need to watch out for the guy who’s running point, but you got to watch out for folks at home,” Sanford said.
All candidates agreed they would try to pass a voter ID requirement law pushed by the Trump administration.
Graham reflects brother’s position on Iran
During the short campaign, Darline Graham has aligned herself with her older brother Lindsey Graham. His sudden death triggered the special primary. The appointed U.S. senator has also tried to differentiate herself.
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But Darline Graham sounded hawkish like her brother Monday evening, saying she believed in “peace through strength” and Israel is an important ally to the U.S.
“If they [Iran] build the nuclear missiles, their goal is to come here and kill us,” Graham said. “The more we can fight them over there and prevent it over there, the better for the United States.”
Other candidates also opposed Iran having a nuclear weapon and applauded Trump’s efforts to take on the country. Sanford said only Congress has the authority to declare war, not presidential administrations.
One issue the Graham siblings’ would disagree on? Darline Graham called for eliminating the filibuster, a Senate institution that continues debate.
Candidates stay cordial — for the most part
Arguments and jabs at other candidates on the debate stage were limited.
However, Lynch criticized Norman’s voting record and Fry’s support for the late Lindsey Graham.
“I supported Lindsey Graham in the first primary because he stood with President Trump, with the Trump agenda, and he was a stalwart,” Fry said. “He did a lot for the people of this state. Quite frankly, I looked at this particular race with you and said, ’Wow, that’s the opponent?’ “
Lynch said Norman voted for legislation that “supported migration and illegal immigration.” Norman called Lynch’s claim “bogus.” Lynch also knocked Norman for voting for the 2021 Allies Act, which expanded special visas for Afghan nationals who were under threat due to their work with the U.S. government or NATO.
Lynch did not critique Darline Graham during the debate, but she criticized his comments about Lindsey Graham in her closing statements.
“Mr. Lynch mentioned Lindsey Graham multiple times, and I don’t know if he’s just afraid Lindsey beat him, and now his little sister is going to beat him,” Graham said. “But I just don’t like hearing that.”
WIS News anchor Judi Gatson, who hosted the debate in the studio, kept candidates to a strict time limit and didn’t allow for back and forth rebuttals.
Candidates shook hands with one another at the end of the debate.
The debate was limited to five candidates
Only five of the nine candidates certified were invited to participate in Monday’s debate.
Walterboro attorney Duke Buckner, retired budget analyst Glenda Gail Parker, former Myrtle Beach mayor Mark McBride and Lexington biologist Samuel Shepherd are also running for the open nomination. The four contenders did not poll high enough to participate in the debate, according to a press release from the state Republican Party.
Buckner said in a letter to the state GOP Monday morning his performance in straw polls around the state should qualify him to participate in the debate.
“I have consistently placed in the top five in recent GOP straw polls,” Buckner said in a news release. “I believe I have earned a spot on the debate stage.”
Another televised debate will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Charleston by Queen City News and Nexstar. The same five candidates were invited to participate, but Graham won’t attend, according to her campaign.
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