Darline Graham Stumbles in GOP Senate Debate, Admits ‘I’m Not That Informed’ on National Security

Sen. Darline Graham Nordone struggled during a Republican primary runoff debate Tuesday night, openly admitting that she is “not that informed” on national security while facing Rep. Ralph Norman for the GOP Senate nomination in South Carolina.

Graham, the sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, was asked whether Taiwan and the South China Sea should be considered national security issues for the United States and, if so, why they matter to the country.

Rather than attempting to provide a detailed answer, Graham acknowledged that foreign policy is not one of her strengths.

“I’m just gonna be honest here,” Graham said. “I’m not that informed on national security. But I do support the military.”

She pointed to her family’s military background, noting that Lindsey Graham served in the Air Force for 33 years and that their father served in the Army. Graham added that she would do everything possible to support the military but acknowledged that national security is “not my thing” and “not my area of expertise.”

The admission quickly attracted criticism because Taiwan and the South China Sea are at the center of America’s strategic competition with China. The United States has maintained unofficial relations with Taiwan for decades while providing the island with weapons intended to help it defend itself against potential Chinese aggression.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who has endorsed Norman in the Republican contest, immediately seized on Graham’s answer.

Haley contrasted Graham with her late brother, who was one of the Senate’s most prominent voices on foreign policy and national security. She argued that knowledge of those issues is not something Graham can simply inherit from her brother and said understanding them is critical for anyone serving in the U.S. Senate.

Graham has attempted to distinguish herself from her brother by emphasizing domestic issues rather than Lindsey Graham’s famously hawkish approach to foreign affairs. But her effort to pivot back toward South Carolina produced another embarrassing mistake during the debate.

“There’s 50 million people in South Carolina. Half of them live paycheck to paycheck,” Graham said.

South Carolina actually has a population of roughly 5 million, meaning Graham overstated the state’s population by approximately tenfold.

The debate stumbles come at a critical moment for Graham’s campaign. The 62-year-old was appointed to the Senate by Republican Gov. Henry McMaster following Lindsey Graham’s sudden death from an aortic dissection on July 11.

Graham subsequently decided to seek a full six-year term and has received the endorsement of President Trump. She is now battling Norman in a special Republican runoff that will determine the party’s nominee.

Her lack of conventional political experience has been part of her campaign pitch, with Graham presenting herself as someone who is not a polished Washington politician. Tuesday night’s performance, however, gave Norman and his allies an opportunity to argue that there’s a difference between being a political outsider and being unprepared for the responsibilities that come with serving in the United States Senate.

With the Republican runoff approaching next week, Graham will now have to overcome two highly publicized mistakes from the debate: admitting she wasn’t informed on a major national security question and putting South Carolina’s population at roughly ten times its actual size.