Senate in South Carolina, received a potentially troubling poll on Wednesday, just one day before President Donald Trump is scheduled to appear in the Palmetto State. The poll from The New York Times/Siena Research Institute shows that Graham and Democratic candidate Dr. Annie Andrews are tied at 48 percent and 3 percent don't know.
The poll comes as Trump is set to rally with Graham on Thursday in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Midterm elections are commonly viewed as a test of the political environment facing the party in power, and the president's party has historically lost seats during them. Trump won South Carolina during the 2024 presidential election versus then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
The late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, Darline's brother, won the seat in the 2020 election cycle along with the primary in June. He died from aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, a preliminary examination by the D.C. Medical Examiner determined.
He died in July at 71 years old, following what his office described as a "brief and sudden illness." Following his death, Darline was sworn into his seat just three days later, with the backing of Trump. Meanwhile, Trump's overall approval rating and ranking on specific policy issues like the economy, immigration, jobs and the ongoing war in Iran have recently slipped as households across America are consistently flagging affordability concerns. The polling lows come as Trump has crisscrossed the country in the lead-up to November 3 to rally for potentially vulnerable GOP candidates, including previous stops in South Carolina.
Newsweek reached out to Graham and Andrews' campaigns via email on Wednesday for comment. The poll shows that men prefer Graham 55 percent to Andrews' 40 percent, and the reverse for women, with 54 percent backing Andrews while 43 percent support Graham. Fifty-seven percent of Independents back Andrews versus 37 percent who support Graham.
Graham landed majority support from white, 45-year-olds and up, white with and without a college degree, and Republican likely voters. The survey shows that 89 percent of 2024 Trump voters backed Graham compared to 8 percent of Trump voters who support Andrews. Graham's favorability in the poll is 44 percent compared to a 41 percent unfavorable rating.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
