{"id":2966,"date":"2026-08-21T16:10:49","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T16:10:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/?p=2966"},"modified":"2026-08-21T16:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T16:10:49","slug":"darline-graham-tries-to-defend-bungling-senate-debate-question","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/?p=2966","title":{"rendered":"Darline Graham Tries to Defend Bungling Senate Debate Question"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\tDarline Graham<\/a> has found that being a politician\u2019s sister is a lot less demanding than trying to be a politician. The current South Carolina<\/a> senator \u2014 who stepped in to finish her brother Lindsay Graham\u2019s term after his sudden passing<\/a> last month \u2014 is now running to retain the seat full time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s not going well. During this week\u2019s Republican primary debate against challenger Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), Graham\u2019s lack of experience was on full display, and the Trump endorsement she received in the aftermath of her brother\u2019s death might not be able to save her candidacy.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tDuring the debate, Graham was asked if Taiwan and the South China Sea were national-security issues for the United States. The question is a layup for most politicians, even one still green around the gills. Graham first asked the moderators to restate the question, and then got a little too candid.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI\u2019m just going to be honest here,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m not that informed on national security. But I do support the military.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cMy brother was in the Air Force for 33 years, so I will do everything I can to support the military. My dad was in the Army. I\u2019m not a polished politician up here. National security is not my thing, not my area of expertise. But I do support the military,\u201d she added.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile Graham was a staple in her brother\u2019s life, the exchange laid bare how little the two siblings truly had in common.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tOn Wednesday night, Graham appeared on Fox News\u2019 Hannity <\/em>in an attempt to clean up the mess. \u201cI tripped up on one question last night, regarding Taiwan,\u201d she told Sean Hannity. \u201cI\u2019ve said many times, I\u2019m not a politician \u2014 certainly not a career politician \u2014 I don\u2019t speak politician.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI was just honest,\u201d she added, claiming that voters she had since spoken to told her they appreciated her honesty. \u201cI think people in South Carolina are more worried about making ends meet, they\u2019re concerned about boys in girls\u2019 sports, they\u2019re concerned about the Second Amendment.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\n\tAs she spoke, a list of her policy positions scrolled through the screen, featuring cookie-cutter MAGA stances such as \u201copposes DEI\u201d and \u201copposed amnesty.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Darline Graham: I tripped up on one question last night, regarding Taiwan. I don’t speak politician. I was just honest. Of course, Taiwan is our friend. But I think people in South Carolina are more worried about boys in girls sports. pic.twitter.com\/xKZNxkldrN<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Acyn (@Acyn) August 20, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s not very convincing, and the GOP is getting a little hot under the collar.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cLindsey Graham<\/a> was well-informed on the United States\u2019 national security. Darline Graham admits she\u2019s not. This is not something you inherit. And it\u2019s critical in the U.S. Senate,\u201d Nikki Haley, former South Carolina governor and a MAGA exile, wrote on X<\/a> in response to the debate.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tOne former Trump administration official told Politico<\/em><\/a> that \u201c[Darline] just doesn\u2019t have the experience of executing, you have to be able to deliver a story about herself, and right now her story is that she\u2019s Lindsey Graham\u2019s sister.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\tTrump\u2019s early endorsement of Graham has given her opponent, and her critics, plenty of fodder to label her as the \u201cestablishment\u201d pick of the party. Norman told the Associated Press<\/a> on Tuesday that Graham has sent a signal to \u201cthe Washington elite [that] they\u2019re dictating the terms because it\u2019s not South Carolina money. Mine is my money and South Carolina\u2019s money, so they\u2019re dictating the terms and giving her the political answers.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tBut while the president may have thrown Graham an early bone, he doesn\u2019t seem all that inclined to help drag her across the finish line. After all, he could barely be bothered to stay awake<\/a> during her brother\u2019s funeral.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n