Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* It wasn’t easy, but in the closely watched special Senate primary election in South Carolina, appointed Sen. Darline Graham, who enjoyed Donald Trump’s enthusiastic backing, narrowly defeated Rep. Ralph Norman for the Republican nomination, filling the vacancy created by the death of her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham.
For Norman, this was his second failed bid for statewide office in three months, following a third-place finish in South Carolina’s recent gubernatorial primary.
Graham will now face Dr. Annie Andrews, a South Carolina pediatrician, who won the Democratic nomination.
* The president’s preferred candidate in Oklahoma’s gubernatorial runoff primary also prevailed: Former state Sen. Mike Mazzei eked out a narrow win over state Attorney General Gentner Drummond. Mazzei will be heavily favored against state Rep. Cyndi Munson, who won the Democratic nomination.
* Speaking of Oklahoma, there was also a GOP primary in the race for state superintendent for public instruction, putting Tulsa educator Robert Franklin against James Taylor, a local pastor who was fired as a high school teacher during the pandemic for refusing to wear a mask. Franklin prevailed.
* It was also Election Day in Georgia’s 13th Congressional District, where local voters chose former Gwinnett School Board Chair Everton Blair Jr. to succeed the late Rep. David Scott, defeating Marcye Scott, the late congressman’s daughter. Once Blair is sworn in, the House Democratic minority will grow from 213 to 214 members.
* To the great frustration of state and national Republicans, independent retired teacher Dan J. Sullivan has made the top-four ballot in Alaska’s U.S. Senate campaign, as part of the challenge to incumbent Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan. Former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola, however, is the senator’s principal rival.
* In Minnesota’s recent gubernatorial primary, pillow salesman and notorious election denier Mike Lindell lost badly, although true to form, he had refused to concede, announcing plans to challenge the results. This week, however, state election officials said Lindell failed to meet a deadline to file paperwork and submit payment, meaning there will be no recount.
* And while members of Congress are prohibited from using recordings of official proceedings for campaign purposes, Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, the current chair of the House Republican Congressional Committee, did it anyway in one of his recent re-election ads. The GOP lawmaker is now facing an ethics complaint over the incident.
The post Wednesday’s Campaign Round-Up, 8.26.26: Darline Graham hangs on for narrow win appeared first on MS NOW.
