Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., is facing criticism after admitting during a debate that she is "not that informed on national security." Graham, who is running for a full term to replace her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, made the comment while facing off against opponent Rep. Ralph Norman in a runoff debate.
When asked if Taiwan and the South China Sea are national security issues for the United States, Graham initially asked for the question to be repeated. She then responded, "I'm just going to be honest here -- I'm not, on national security, that -- I'm not that informed on national security. So," trailing off as boos were heard from the audience.
Graham added that she supports the military, noting her brother's 33 years in the Air Force and her father's service in the Army. "National security is not my thing, not my area of expertise, but I do support the military," she said.
Rep. Ralph Norman offered a different perspective, praising former President Donald Trump's "peace through strength" approach. Norman stated, "Taiwan's a definite all. ... what the president is doing right is he's enabling Taiwan to defend themselves against China. But it's peace through strength that he's showing with Iran that China, Russia, others are looking at it, so that they don't want to deal with America, and that's why they haven't attacked Taiwan."
Following the debate, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who endorsed Norman, criticized Graham's statement on social media. "Lindsey Graham was well informed on the United States' national security. Darline Graham admits she's not. This is not something you inherit. And it's critical in the U.S. Senate," Haley wrote on X.
A spokesperson for Graham indicated that the candidate believes South Carolinians are more concerned with domestic issues. The spokesperson cited Graham's post-debate comments to reporters, where she said, "South Carolinians are worried about their pocketbooks more than they're worried about the South China Sea, quite honestly."
Donald Trump has not yet commented on Graham's remarks. However, he previously criticized Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for her response to a question about Taiwan at a security conference, calling her performance "horrible" and questioning her knowledge of the issue.
Graham, who has positioned herself as a political outsider focusing on domestic issues like the cost of living, received President Donald Trump's endorsement ahead of her runoff campaign. Trump is scheduled to rally with Graham on Friday in Myrtle Beach.
Graham secured the most votes in the Aug. 11 special primary for a full term, but did not cross the 50% threshold to win outright. The winner of the upcoming runoff election will face Democratic nominee Annie Andrews in November.