The race to replace the late Sen. Lindsey Graham in South Carolina has reached its climax just a day before a special election on Tuesday.
Nine candidates, including Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordon, who is backed by President Trump, are vying for the nomination.
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All the candidates made their last-minute pitches to voters on Sunday at a forum in Florence County, Fox News reported.
They addressed the war with Iran, the rising tide of socialism in the Democratic Party and privacy concerns around Flock cameras.
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The event was hosted by South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, the Republican nominee for governor, who described the format as a form of “speed dating” for voters because each candidate was allotted six minutes to present their message.
With the Republican special Senate primary scheduled for Aug. 11, the gathering represented one of the final opportunities for candidates to deliver their closing arguments and appeal to Republican voters.
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Darline Graham, who was appointed to complete the Senate term of her late brother following his death in July, was the final candidate to address the audience.
She told attendees that although she had been appointed to the seat, she intended to earn their support at the ballot box.
“I’m not a politician. I never wanted to be a politician. But like Lindsey, I have a servant’s heart,” she said.
“I am a hard worker. And, yes, I have President Trump’s endorsement, but I know I have to earn your votes,” she said to begin her speech.
During her remarks, Graham stressed that she wanted to be judged on her qualifications and experience rather than her background, and said she’s not a “DEI” candidate.
She highlighted her tenure leading the South Carolina Commission for the Blind, where she oversaw a state agency with an annual budget of approximately $90 million and a workforce of dozens of employees.
“We help blind people and people with disabilities get jobs so that they don’t have to rely on the government. How is that DEI?” she said.
Graham also highlighted several policy positions that align with President Trump’s agenda, including keeping transgender athletes out of women’s sports, supporting Israel, requiring voter identification through the SAVE Act, and ending automatic birthright citizenship in certain circumstances.
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She briefly criticized what she described as the growing influence of socialism within the Democratic Party, arguing that the movement should be opposed.
Graham also criticized Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., as crazy.
She concluded her speech by responding to a question about Flock Safety license plate reader cameras, which are used by law enforcement agencies in communities across the country to automatically capture and identify vehicle license plates.
“I need to look into that one because there’s two sides to that story,” she said.
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“I know that some people are concerned about privacy and protecting their privacy, and I’m all for protecting the privacy of U.S. citizens,” Graham continued.
“The other side of it is, if there’s an emergency situation that an ambulance can be called quicker and it can save lives,” Graham said.
“I’m going to be honest. That’s a hard one for me. So, I want to look into it a little bit more.”
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Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., meanwhile, centered his remarks on what he described as the Senate’s inability to advance legislation, calling it the chamber where “good bills go to die.”
Norman argued that the Senate’s procedural rules should be reformed to allow measures such as the SAVE Act to move more efficiently through Congress and ultimately reach the president’s desk.
“I will use my, whatever expertise I have, to go to the Senate and force the vote, whether it’s blowing up the filibuster or having a walking filibuster or getting with the parliamentarian and changing some of these stupid, arcane rules that the Senate has,” Norman said.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
