Darline Graham stumbles on Taiwan question in S.C. Senate debate
Why it matters: The misstep gave Ralph Norman a new attack line one week before the GOP runoff for the appointed Senate seat.
Sen. Darline Graham faltered in a South Carolina GOP runoff debate Tuesday when asked whether Taiwan and the South China Sea are U.S. national security interests, replying that national security was "not my thing." The exchange came a week before Graham faces Rep. Ralph Norman in the Aug. 26 runoff for the Senate seat she was appointed to last month after the July 11 death of her brother, Lindsey Graham. Norman seized on the answer as evidence she was unprepared for a six-year term. The moment undercut a central contrast with Lindsey Graham, whose Senate career was closely tied to foreign policy and included trips to Taiwan, including a 2022 visit with President Tsai Ing-wen.