Darline Graham and Mike Mazzei secured Republican victories after several candidates endorsed by the president lost races in other states.
Two candidates backed by Donald Trump won their Republican primaries: Darline Graham in South Carolina and Mike Mazzei in Oklahoma, giving the president a political boost.
#26Ago | Sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham wins primary with Trump's support. Darline Graham will face Democratic pediatrician Annie Andrews in the November 3 election, in which the entire U.S. House of Representatives and a third of the U.S. Senate are up for renewal… pic.twitter.com/5jpcHIy7T3
— El Nacional (@ElNacionalWeb) August 26, 2026
Darline Graham, sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, defeated Representative Ralph Norman in the Republican runoff for Senate, according to EFE.
With 99% of the vote counted, Graham received 52.4%, compared with Norman’s 47.6%. She currently holds the seat temporarily following her brother’s death.
Lindsey Graham died on July 11. He had represented South Carolina in the Senate since 2003 and was seeking a fifth term.
His sister will now have to defend the seat in November’s general election.
Trump intervened directly to support Darline Graham. In addition to publicly endorsing her, he campaigned alongside her in South Carolina on the Friday before the vote.
During the event, he urged supporters to vote as though his own name were on the ballot, according to EFE.
The victory comes after several unfavorable results for candidates backed by Trump, particularly in gubernatorial races.
His preferred candidates lost gubernatorial primaries in Wyoming, Iowa, Georgia, Minnesota and South Carolina.
Other Trump-backed candidates lost legislative races in Michigan and Florida.
Breaking news: Mike Mazzei, President Trump’s pick in the Oklahoma governor’s primary, defeated the state attorney general Gentner Drummond. https://t.co/yXNZ9XafL0 pic.twitter.com/lwZujNE3nk
— The New York Times (@nytimes) August 26, 2026
The second favorable sign came in Oklahoma, where former state senator Mike Mazzei narrowly won the Republican primary for governor.
Trump endorsed Mazzei in May. In the first round on June 16, Gentner Drummond had defeated Mazzei by just 0.3 percentage points, forcing a runoff.
Club for Growth spent $8 million on advertising to support Mazzei and attack Drummond. Mazzei also received endorsements from Governor Kevin Stitt and Markwayne Mullin.
These two victories mean Trump-backed candidates win primaries after a string of defeats, but each race was also shaped by local factors, campaign spending and other political endorsements.
Graham’s next test will be the November 3 general election against Democratic pediatrician Annie Andrews.
That result will help show whether Graham can carry the momentum from the Republican primary into the November election.
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SOURCE: EFE / POLITICO
