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Still the Kingmaker

Plus: Surrogacy case, pied-à-terre tax, AI op-eds, and more...

Liz Wolfe | 8.26.2026 9:30 AM

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Darline Graham won her Senate primary: Down in South Carolina, Darline Graham—the sister of recently deceased Lindsey Graham—just won the Republican Senate primary, overcoming her dearth of experience (and probably being helped by President Donald Trump's aggressive endorsement).

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"Despite being a political unknown, Graham bested some of South Carolina's top political names in the special election spun up after Lindsey Graham's sudden death last month," reports the Associated Press. "She was appointed by Gov. Henry McMaster to serve out the remaining months of her late brother's current term and swiftly won an endorsement from Trump, who encouraged her to enter the race for a full term and campaigned for her in the state last week."

Graham has positioned herself rather beautifully as a sycophant. She has "repeatedly stressed to voters her intent to support Trump's policy positions and often referenced in particular her co-sponsorship of a voting bill that's become a key priority for the president," notes the A.P. It turns out Trump can still be a kingmaker, and pledging fealty to him is seen as the price of admission in several key races. It's impressive that someone with so little political experience was able to beat sitting U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, but I suppose that's just the power of MAGA.

Surrogacy case divides: Baby Gabriel, or baby Rumi—depending who you ask—was born earlier this month, having been diagnosed with a serious heart condition in utero at the 20-week scan. He's undergone the first of several surgeries he'll need in his childhood and is recovering at a hospital in Texas. But........

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