With the August 25 runoff just days away, Graham squared off in what will be the only debate with her opponent Rep. Ralph Norman.
Graham, who was appointed to temporarily replace her brother Lindsey Graham after his sudden death last month, was asked about the strategic importance of U.S. ally Taiwan.
"I'm just going to be honest here. I'm not that informed on national security, but I do support the military. I'm not a polished politician up here. National security is not my thing, not my area of expertise, but I do support the military."
Norman, 73 (shown right), spent 11 years in the South Carolina House before being elected to the U.S. House, where’s he’s served the last nine years.
His current committee assignments include Financial Services, Budget and Rules, which give him experience with federal spending, financial regulation and congressional procedure.
Graham has worked mostly in state government assistance agencies such as the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, the Department of Employment and Workforce and for the last seven years as head of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind.
Jenna Ellis hosts Jenna Ellis in the morning on American Family Radio. She questioned Graham’s debate prep.
"That provided possibly the worst standby for her campaign for someone who already was viewed as just a nepotistic candidate without qualification. She basically confirmed that on the debate stage, and you can trust Darlene Graham's response to someone like Ralph Norman, who, in my opinion, is the far superior candidate, and actually vote for the most competent and qualified candidate."
Graham’s response was a far cry from her brother, who was known not only as a supporter of the military but savvy in foreign policy.
Lindsey Graham’s funeral was attended by notable international heads of state such as Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Final President Alexander Stubb.
Darline Graham’s appointment and current candidacy are endorsed by President Donald Trump.
Ellis was critical of the appointment by South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster when it occurred in mid-July.
"I've seen people saying on social media, well, it's only six months,” she said then. “What's the big deal if Gov. McMaster appoints Lindsey Graham's sister to finish his term? Isn't this a great memorial? Well, the problem isn't just the length of the appointment, it's the principle. For conservatives, it's always the principle."
Not a family affair
Ellis went on to say that a Senate seat doesn't belong to a politician or a political family. It belongs to the people of the state that the senator is supposed to represent.
"To be fair, this isn't unprecedented. Throughout American history, governors have occasionally appointed the wives or other relatives of senators and other political offices to fill vacant seats, often after that person died in office. But precedent doesn't equal principle. Many of those appointments were viewed as temporary caretakers, symbolic gestures, and whether they were politically accepted at the time or not doesn't mean they were the right approach. In my view, they weren't. A Senate seat should never be treated as something that quote unquote stays in the family."
Now there’s a full six-year Senate term on the line. Ellis hopes that voters will consider the experience of the two candidates.
"And I think that there is a real possibility, and hopefully a strong possibility, that Ralph Norman holds this off, especially because Darlene Graham is proving that she doesn't know what she's doing. There's not a whole lot of time left. I'm not sure that the Trump endorsement can overcome for clear lack of knowledge of what the position requires."
