Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* We’re one day out from South Carolina’s special Senate primary election, and it’s an open question whether appointed incumbent Sen. Darline Graham will overcome doubts about her qualifications to secure the Republican nomination.
For his part, Donald Trump continues to champion her candidacy, and on Friday, the president defended her struggles during the final pre-election debate, saying she was “just being honest” about her ignorance. This apparently proved persuasive to South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, the Republican who appointed her to her late brother’s Senate seat. On Friday afternoon McMaster became the latest member of the GOP establishment to endorse Graham’s candidacy.
In the meantime, her primary rival, Rep. Ralph Norman, continues to pick up the backing of South Carolina Republicans who are just outside of the party’s establishment, such as former Gov. Mark Sanford.
* Although Oklahoma’s gubernatorial race has generated far less attention, we’re also one day out from the state’s GOP runoff primary, which pits former state Sen. Mike Mazzei and state Attorney General Gentner Drummond.
The president hasn’t just endorsed Mazzei, he’s also waged a crusade of sorts against Drummond because he used to be a Democrat who donated to Joe Biden.
* On NBC’s “Meet the Press,” host Kristen Welker asked Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, the current chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, whether Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton “has the character to serve.” Scott dodged the question — twice.
* In New Jersey, House Speaker Mike Johnson appeared at a campaign event for incumbent Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. last week, but a New York Times reporter was blocked from entry. (A Fox News correspondent was let in.) While the Times’ reporter waited in her car, hoping to talk to one of the congressmen after the event, the local police were called.
* Those who hoped to attend a town hall event hosted by a GOP member of Congress over lawmakers’ summer break are apparently out of luck. MS NOW reported last week, “The Republican town hall is disappearing. Once a mainstay of life as a lawmaker, in-person town halls have become increasingly rare for House Republicans, who are opting instead for virtual events and more private meetings with constituents. As of June 29, Republican members of Congress had held just 39 in-person town halls this year, according to LegiStorm, marking the lowest first-half-of-the-year number since the Capitol Hill-focused platform began tracking that data. Democratic lawmakers, in contrast, had hosted 451 town halls during the same period.”
* And according to the latest YouGov/Economist poll, those who disapprove of Trump’s job performance outnumber those who approve in 47 states and the District of Columbia. The exceptions are Wyoming, Idaho and West Virginia, where the president still enjoys majority support.
The post Monday’s Campaign Round-Up, 8.24.26: Darline Graham faces uncertain fate in primary appeared first on MS NOW.
