By The Epoch Times | Created at 2026-08-11 12:22:05 | Updated at 2026-08-11 12:35:36
35 minutes ago
GREENVILLE—The late Lindsey Graham was a powerful force in Washington politics, capable of navigating alliances with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and President Donald Trump alike while winning allies for his own hawkish foreign policy priorities.
Although his sister and current replacement, Sen. Darline Graham (R-S.C.), has sought to distinguish herself from her late brother, a victory for her in the Aug. 11 primary would underscore the Graham brand’s dominance in the Palmetto State.
For now, and in ways large and small, some candidates in that race are taking pains to set themselves apart from the man first elected in 2002 and last renominated in June.
One of the clearest fissures is foreign policy.
Graham championed the Iraq and Iran wars, garnering praise from Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump, respectively, and aligning him with most Senate Republicans throughout his decades in office.
In an Aug. 10 interview with The Epoch Times and others, Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), a leading contender in the primary, sounded a note of caution on the conflict with Iran.
“I think the president’s going to have to end the war. I think that patience is running pretty thin,” the House Freedom Caucus member said.
While he credited Graham with supporting Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearings, Norman said he departs from the late senator when it comes to “endless wars and on giving countries money, and we don’t know where in the hell it’s going.”
He added a qualification when it comes to overseas objectives: “We’ve got to somehow come up with Taiwan where they continue to function as a democracy and not be under China’s threat.”
Graham, during his lifetime, was a top Republican proponent of foreign aid as well as funding for Ukraine in its war with Russia.
During an Aug. 3 debate with Graham, Norman, and other top candidates, former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford said that his stance that Congress must authorize war sets him apart from many other hopefuls.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) speaks to reporters in Washington on April 13, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times
Graham, Rep. Russell Fry (R-S.C.), and, at times, Norman have opposed war powers resolutions aimed at constraining or ending the United States’ air campaign against Iran, one that has been conducted partly in conjunction with Israel.
Polling shows the three vying for top spot in the contest. If no one claims over half of the vote, the top two finishers will head to a runoff on Aug. 25.
Samuel Shepherd, an engineer and entrepreneur who has entered the race, hewed to a middle course, telling The Epoch Times in Aug. 10 emails that while he would “demand clear strategic objectives” and “rigorous oversight of costs and outcomes” in the Senate, a war powers resolution “in light of current conditions would be counterproductive.”
“I oppose both isolationist retreat that signals weakness and open-ended commitments that drain American blood and treasure without clear victory conditions,” he said.
Mark Lynch, president of Jeff Lynch Appliance and the late Graham’s opponent in the June primary, struck the greatest contrast with the former senator.
On Aug. 10, in the Christian chapel at the back of his huge Greenville showroom, the businessman told The Epoch Times that he would support an Iran war powers resolution.
“We’re not going to win that war. We’re fighting a whole country, and we don’t have the money to do it,” he said, adding that Iran does not have the missile capacity to target the United States.
South Carolina Republican Senate hopeful Mark Lynch at Jeff Lynch Appliance and TV Center in Greenville, N.C., on Aug. 10, 2026. Nathan Worcester/The Epoch Times
“[Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu needs to go fight that if he wants to while we deal with the terrorists that are inside our walls.”
Even the current Sen. Graham has raised questions about the late Graham’s rhetorical emphasis on war, telling Fox News’ Sean Hannity during a July interview that she wished he had spoken more about affordability and the economy.
That same month, she joined nearly all Senate Republicans in voting against an Iran war powers resolution.
Shaking Up Senate for SAVE America
Foreign policy isn’t the only area where some candidates buck Graham’s example.
In his Aug. 10 interview, Norman mulled options for passing the SAVE America Act.
That election integrity legislation, which would mandate photo ID to vote and citizenship verification for voter registration, has passed the Republican-led House but stalled in the Republican-led Senate.
Norman floated both the talking filibuster—an option championed by Senate conservatives—and challenges to the Senate parliamentarian, who ruled that SAVE America violated a key rule governing the budget reconciliation process.
“The parliamentarian gives politicians cover when they don’t want to face a tough issue,” he said.
Although Graham supported SAVE America, he did not lead the charge against the Senate parliamentarian or changing the filibuster, telling reporters in June that Republicans lacked the votes to do the latter.
Sen. Graham has parted ways with her brother on the filibuster, calling for its elimination to advance SAVE America.
Norman stopped short of calling for Thune’s ouster as majority leader.
He noted that Thune, whose bid for leadership was supported by the late Graham, has support from Senate Republicans that alternatives like Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) lack.
President Donald Trump walks with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) on the way to a lunch meeting with Senate Republicans at the Capitol in Washington on June 24, 2026. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
Trump’s “patience has run thin with Thune, but he doesn’t have the votes to get anybody else like a Rick Scott, like a [Sen.] Ron Johnson [(R-Wis.)], like a [Sen.] Ted Cruz [(R-Texas)],” Norman said.
Shepherd said that “if the Senate continues to stall on core priorities such as SAVE America despite clear House action and presidential focus, then the conference must reassess leadership effectiveness.”
Lynch suggested he would lead Republicans in forming an internal committee to oust Thune “if the parliamentarian is playing around with the rules, or John Thune can’t get [SAVE America] done.”
“I know how to lead and take charge because I’m not afraid of any man,” he said.
