Darline Graham outpolled Norman by nearly 8 percentage points, powered by the Trump endorsement.
Norman’s closest competitor for the second place spot, Russell Fry, is a mushy moderate GOP congressman whose district includes Myrtle Beach and the northeastern part of the state. Fry was prevailing over Norman during the early evening as the returns were first being reported. But Norman– a solid conservative– showed considerable strength in the parts of South Carolina near Charlotte and the Upstate. He beat Fry by nearly 17,000 votes.
Given the fact Graham only received 33 percent of the vote, it is hard to say that her winning the runoff is a foregone conclusion. It remains to be seen if Fry, Mark Sanford or Mark Lynch– the other candidates– will make an endorsement, and if so, WHO they will endorse.
The runoff will be in two weeks. I hope Norman can run a spirited campaign.
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