Darline Graham takes the stage at Myrtle Beach rally

Sen. Graham Darline Graham, R-South Carolina, touted her career experience, anti-abortion and pro-Second Amendment political ideologies, and support for a Trump-backed election security bill during a Myrtle Beach campaign rally.

President Donald Trump will be in Myrtle Beach to drum up votes for Sen. Darline Graham on Aug. 21, amplifying his support for her candidacy in the days leading up to the runoff election against U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman. The president has been vocal in his support for Graham, starting soon after her brother Lindsey Graham’s death on July 11.

The president is expected to speak at the rally after 7 p.m. Trump posted around 6:10 p.m. that he will be landing in South Carolina shortly.

“I’m getting ready to land in the Great State of South Carolina where I’ll be doing a Rally, in honor of Lindsey Graham, for his fantastic sister, Darline, who, after knowing her for many years, I asked to run for the United States Senate, and take Lindsey’s place,” Trump posted on X. “See you soon!”

Hundreds of people lined up outside the Myrtle Beach Convention Center in the hours before the event, waiting in line to see the president campaign on behalf of a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate.

People decked out in red, white and blue and wearing Graham and Trump merchandise filed into the convention hall in the hours leading up to the event. The event space was decorated with American flags and signs stating “South Carolina is Graham Country.”

Bill Balmeri, a resident of Myrtle Beach who attended the rally, said he was drawn to Graham’s campaign initially because he supported Lindsey Graham while he was in office. He said he had been a Democratic voter for roughly 60 years, but he switched to the Republican Party around 2016 because of his support for Donald Trump, who was then running for his first term in office.

He said this election cycle, he wants to “take a chance” on Graham. He expressed his support for a federal law requiring a driver’s license or ID to vote. Graham has cosponsored the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which requires voters to provide proof of U.S. citizenship when they register to vote and to present photo ID at the polls.

“I know she probably doesn’t have a lot of experience, but that’s okay for me,” Balmeri said. “She’ll pick it up along the way; she’s very smart.”

The Myrtle Beach Convention Center is located in U.S. Rep. Russell Fry’s congressional district. Fry ran in the special Republican primary for the Senate on Aug. 11, but he failed to advance to the runoff. Fry has since endorsed Graham over her runoff competitor, Norman.

Myrtle Beach resident Pam McMahon said she attended the Aug. 21 rally to see the president, but she is still undecided on which candidate she will support in the Senate race. She said the president’s endorsement will influence whom she chooses to vote for, and she wants to see someone with conservative values who will speak up for South Carolina.

Doors to the Myrtle Beach rally opened at 3 p.m. Around 5:30 p.m., Republican political figures took the stage to express their support for Graham. Cody Simpson, the Republican Party’s nominee for commission of agriculture, spoke during the rally and urged the event audience to vote for Graham.

“It is not only in Senator Graham’s heritage, but her mission to fight for South Carolina,” Simpson said.

Graham took the stage around 6:20 p.m. and described her political stances to a room full of conservative voters. She describes herself as anti-abortion and pro-Second Amendment. She also boasted her support for the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, an election security bill backed by Trump, and opposition to undocumented immigration.

She earned applause from the convention hall after claiming she has done more in 20 days in the Senate than Norman has done in 20 years in politics.

“I actually worked as a postal carrier for a while and we had a term that matches his record – undeliverable,” Graham said. “The only person my opponent has delivered for is himself.”

Special election primary happening Tuesday

Graham and Norman earned the most votes on Aug. 11 during a special election primary. Since neither candidate received at least 50% of the vote, the pair will head into a runoff election on Tuesday, Aug. 25. Election results will determine the Republican Party’s next Senate candidate, who will face Democratic candidate Annie Andrews in the November general election.

Find out more about Trump’s campaign for Graham, along with special election updates, at GreenvilleOnline.com.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Darline Graham takes the stage at Myrtle Beach rally

Reporting by Bella Carpentier, Greenville News / Greenville News

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Darline Graham takes the stage at Myrtle Beach rally

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