PoliticsLindsey Graham's Sister Booed After Debate Answer on National Security
Darline Graham was booed after admitting she was not well-informed about national security.
Aug. 21 2026, Published 7:12 a.m. ET
Darline Graham’s Senate campaign hit a rough patch in front of a hometown crowd.
The 62-year-old Republican, who was appointed to temporarily fill the seat of her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, was booed during a televised debate in Newberry, S.C., after admitting she was not well-versed on national security.
Graham is running to keep the seat full-time with the support of President Donald Trump, a close ally of her brother. But neither she nor Rep. Ralph Norman earned enough votes to avoid a Republican runoff, which is set for August 25.
The Answer That Drew Boos
Darline Graham faced a tense moment during a Senate debate.
During the August 18 debate, co-moderator Greta Van Susteren asked Graham whether Taiwan and the South China Sea were national security issues for the United States.
Graham first asked for the question to be repeated.
“I’m just going to be honest here... I’m not that informed on national security,” she said.
The Senate candidate defended her military support after the audience reaction.
The response drew boos from the audience. Graham paused, then tried to connect her answer to her family’s military background.
“But I do support the military,” she said, mentioning Lindsey Graham’s 33 years in the U.S. Air Force and their father’s Army service.
“I’m not a polished politician up here. National security is not my thing, not my area of expertise, but I support the military,” she continued.
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An Awkward Contrast
Ralph Norman offered a more detailed response about Taiwan and China.
The moment was especially striking because Lindsey Graham built much of his Senate identity around foreign policy and military affairs.
Norman, asked the same question, gave a more detailed answer about Taiwan and China, saying, “Taiwan’s a definite ally.”
“What the president is doing right is, he’s enabling Taiwan to defend themselves against China,” Norman said. “But it’s peace through strength he’s showing with Iran, that China, Russia, and others are looking at it so they don’t want to deal with America.”
Graham has tried to cast herself as more focused on domestic issues affecting ordinary South Carolinians. Later in the debate, she spoke about her family’s reliance on Social Security survivor benefits after her parents died and criticized Norman over whether he wants to serve in Washington or South Carolina.
The Haley Hit
Nikki Haley criticized Darline Graham for her national security answer.
The national security answer quickly drew criticism from Nikki Haley, South Carolina’s former governor, who backed Norman over Trump in the 2024 presidential primary.
“Lindsey Graham was well informed on the United States’ national security. Darline Graham admits she’s not,” Haley wrote on X. “This is not something you inherit. And it’s critical in the U.S. Senate.”
Graham also stumbled elsewhere in the debate, saying, “There’s 50 million people in South Carolina.” The state’s population is around 5.5 million.
