By admin 
Little River resident Charles McCorkle arrived at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center around 9:30 a.m. Friday.
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He and a group of about 20 to 30 people waited in front of the center’s doors for more than five hours, all to see one person: President Donald Trump.
For some, the rally was their first time seeing Trump in person, but for others, it was a final chance for U.S. Sen. Darline Graham to win their vote in her Republican primary runoff race against U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman on Aug. 25.
Graham announced in a social media post on Tuesday that Trump — who has endorsed her in the race — would appear at the rally, which is being held at 7 p.m.
“I’ll wait until after today,” McCorkle said. “I always listen one more time. The only positive thing about her is she will vote with Trump, and I do respect Trump.”
Ahead of Friday’s rally, hundreds of people lined up in front of the convention center, braving hot temperatures that made several people in the crowd need medical attention.
The trip is the first time in more than two years that Trump has traveled to Myrtle Beach. In 2024, he spoke to thousands of supporters at Coastal Carolina University during his presidential election campaign.
Some doubts on Graham
McCormick wasn’t the only South Carolina resident on the fence.
Carmine Lotito, who lives in Conway, said he wasn’t sure about voting for Graham after answers she gave during a debate against Norman earlier this week.
Graham drew backlash during the debate on Aug. 18 when she said she was “not that informed on national security” after she was asked whether Taiwan and the South China Sea are national security threats.
“I was going to go for Graham, but I didn’t like her debate,” Lotito said. “I don’t think she’s experienced enough yet to be qualified.”
While they’re hesitant on Graham, that doesn’t mean Lotito or McCormick are going to vote for Norman, they said. McCormick voted for U.S. Rep. Russell Fry, while Lotito supported former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford.
But regardless of their feelings on Graham, both showed up mainly to see Trump, they said.
Inexperience is ‘a good thing,’ attendees share
Other rally attendees said they planned to support Graham in the runoff.
Myrtle Beach residents Mary Craig and Valerie Quiqley said they wanted to vote for Graham because they believe she will be more likely to support Trump and the Republican Party.
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“She is an intelligent, hardworking individual, and she will do her best to continue to what (former U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham) did.
Graham took over her brother’s position in office after the longtime senator died last month. U.S. Senate. Lindsey Graham recently won his primary race, so a special election was held on Aug. 11 to nominate a primary replacement.
Craig and Quigley aren’t phased by the critiques against Graham after the debate.
“We feel that (her inexperience) is a good thing,” Quigley said.
Little River resident Kris Korteweg, who is voting for Graham in Tuesday’s election, said that Graham being endorsed by Trump was “the gold seal of approval.”
He appreciated that she’s more of a “political outsider,” he said.
“I don’t need career politicians making decisions for me because oftentimes those decisions are made with not the clearest intention,” Korteweg said. “I’m hoping, God willing, that she gets a seat.”
Not much of the polling data for the Republican primary runoff has been made public, but one poll taken by Co/Efficient on July 28-29 showed that Graham led with 40% while Norman had 35%. About 25% were still undecided. Another internal poll from Aug. 12-13 shared on social media said that Norman was up over Graham, 52% to 40%.
Attendees experience hot temps
At least five people waiting in line for the rally had to be assisted by Myrtle Beach Police officers and other emergency medical staff.
“We got two more down in the crowd here,” a police officer said when trying to get to two people in need of treatment because of the heat. “I can’t separate the barricades to get them out.”
“What do we need to do to fix this,” another police officer said.
“We need to be able to get in here,” an officer replied.
More than 200 people were lined up between barricades at the convention center’s entrance around 1 p.m. Early arrivals faced a heat advisory, where temperatures felt like over 100 degrees.
Some people had to leave the line due to heat exhaustion. Officers on scene grabbed wheelchairs, a stretcher and packs of water to help people cool down.
Attendees were let into the convention center starting at 2:45 p.m. Trump is expected to speak around 7 p.m.
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