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Myrtle Beach, South Carolina—Modern political debates are often an elaborate subgenre of theater. Candidates have lines to deliver and go out of their way to do so, regardless of what question is asked or what their opponent says. Meanwhile, only the most civically engaged or politically deranged voters watch, as the debates are less arguments than opportunities for b-roll for campaign ads or clips for social media.

The debate last week in South Carolina’s Senate runoff was something else entirely.

Darline Graham, the appointed incumbent to the seat that opened up after the death of her brother, Lindsey Graham, was asked a straightforward question: “Are Taiwan and the South China Sea national security issues for the United States, and, if so, why?”

Her response was jaw-dropping. “I just want to be honest here. I’m not on national security,” she replied. “I’m not that informed on national security.” Then, after a pause, she added an inspired riff: “But I do support the military.” Graham went on to note that both her late brother and father served before reiterating: “National security is not my thing, not my area of expertise.”

This answer may not only prove fatal to her newborn political career. It could also further accelerate President Donald Trump’s shift into lame-duck status within the Republican Party.

Trump’s endorsements in Republican primaries have long been uniquely robust. Although his record has been juiced by his propensity to back even candidates running unopposed, he has had the ability to bend GOP primary voters to his will—even during the nadir of his authority within the party, in 2022. At his peak, he could intimidate established incumbents into retiring. But, as the 2028 presidential election approaches, Trump’s influence will be tested. He still may be beloved by the Republican base, but as his days left in office dwindle, can he still call the shots? And when the time comes, will his endorsement still be all-powerful when the party’s voters pick his successor?

This is even more important in South Carolina, a state that has long occupied a crucial place on the Republican primary calendar, for which a win is vital to securing the party’s nomination in 2028.

Graham was never going to have an easy time running for Senate under any circumstances. Senate seats in South Carolina become open with the approximate frequency of a total solar eclipse. It’s an opportunity every ambitious politician dreams of. And, by all accounts, Graham was neither ambitious nor a politician until her brother’s sudden death in July. Initially viewed as a placeholder when appointed to fill the seat, Graham quickly became the anointed candidate of Trump and Senate leadership and announced she would seek the full six-year team.

But as a political neophyte, she appears to have had little time to consider some of the major questions she’ll be asked to address as a senator—a deficiency that was just as glaring when she took questions from reporters outside Charleston as it was on the debate stage.

Graham has taken a hard line on immigration since entering politics, stating that she was further to the right than her late brother in an attempt to appeal to the MAGA base: “I loved my brother Lindsey, and I miss him so much every day. But on illegal immigration, I’m tougher than he was. It’s simple. If you are here illegally, you’ve got to go,” she told a cheering crowd.

Slate asked whether her belief that all immigrants who lack permanent status should be deported extends to those covered by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which provides some deportation protections for children brought to the U.S. at a young age. Graham answered: “Well, when it comes to birthright citizenship, that’s what I want to talk about. I think it’s a shame that people are coming here to have children just to earn citizenship.”

Asked as a follow-up if she had any thoughts at all on DACA, Graham said, “Not right now.”

That was more than she shared when asked if she agreed with her brother’s vote to certify the 2020 election. As she was gathering her thoughts, Sen. Tim Scott jumped in to say: “I think it’d be helpful for us to talk about the issues of tomorrow and not yesterday.”

Graham seemed to silently agree.

Her remarkable lack of experience may help explain why Graham didn’t scare anyone out of the race when she announced her........

© Slate