Trump-backed Graham wins South Carolina runoff in boost for president

Donald Trump's preferred candidate, Darline Graham, emerged victorious in South Carolina's Republican Senate runoff, boosting the president's sagging approval ratings, according to US media projections. Graham, a political novice who succeeded her late brother Lindsey Graham in the Senate, bested veteran congressman Ralph Norman after President Trump heavily invested in the contest, campaigning in the state and urging supporters to vote as if Trump were running himself.

This win comes after a string of 10 Republican defeats for Trump's endorsed candidates, including six in the past two weeks, amid declining approval ratings for the president. Trump personally campaigned for Graham, holding a telephone rally on the eve of the vote and urging supporters to "pretend, please, that I'm on the ballot."

The Trump-backed political organization, MAGA Inc, spent over $827,000 on voter calls and text messages, a rare use of its reserves in the primaries. The victory is seen as a personal vindication for Trump, who had insisted just days prior that his endorsements were "stronger than ever." However, the outcome remains uncertain in Oklahoma, where Trump-backed Mike Mazzei faces Attorney General Gentner Drummond in the gubernatorial nomination runoff, with the latter narrowly leading in the first round.

Trump has repeatedly called Drummond a "fake Republican" due to his opposition to a proposed $4 billion aluminum smelter project, which he believes could harm local land and communities.