Ralph Norman, a Republican from South Carolina and a member of the House Freedom Caucus, is now reportedly considering running for the Senate against Sen. Lindsey Graham in the Republican primary in 2026.
Graham has held a seat in the upper chamber since 2003 and has routinely defeated primary rivals, but on July 1, when he attended a rally for the late President Donald Trump, his own supporters booed him.
Conservatives have been talking with Norman about running for office in 2026 as they see an opening for another Republican to emerge.
“Rep. Norman is not ruling anything out but has made no decisions yet on future elections. He remains firmly committed to serving South Carolina’s 5th district in the House, and doing everything within his ability to restore fiscal sanity and conservative values to Congress.” a spokesman for Norman said in a statement.
Graham’s moderate stance on important topics, most recently his steadfast backing for Ukraine in the fight with Russia, has irked conservatives, and numerous Trump backers claim the senator isn’t loyal.
The two South Carolinians have attended events together, and in the most recent Senate primary in 2019, Norman backed Graham.
Instead of supporting the former president in the 2024 primary, Norman backed Nikki Haley, a former governor of South Carolina, when she declared her candidacy in February.
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