MAGA Inc. injects $827,000 on final day to boost Darline Graham in SC GOP Senate runoff

On the final day of South Carolina's Republican U.S. Senate runoff, MAGA Inc., a super PAC aligned with President Donald Trump, spent about $827,000 to support Sen. Darline Graham. The payment was a sizable, late infusion intended to influence a compressed, high-profile primary to replace the late Sen. Lindsey Graham on the November ballot.

The spend came on the runoff's final day, as both campaigns wrapped up. The timing reflects an effort to consolidate support and turnout in the last 24 hours, when advertising and outreach can have large marginal effects on undecided voters in a quick, local contest.

President Trump actively backed Graham. He encouraged her to run, held a rally with her in Myrtle Beach days before the runoff, and joined multiple tele-rallies to urge voters to support her. The coverage notes the president's involvement went further than many of his other midterm endorsements this cycle.

Some South Carolina voters said they didn't know Graham or her positions. Reporters documented criticism that Graham spent time in Washington, D.C., casting Senate votes rather than campaigning on the ground in the state. To address name-recognition and presence concerns, Graham held meet-and-greet events and a news conference with Gov. McMaster, who endorsed her on Friday after appointing her to the interim post.

MAGA Inc. has accumulated a large war chest, with reporting noting it rose to nearly $404 million after recent contributions and interest. Despite that size, the organization had spent little on the president's midterm candidates prior to this late-day expenditure in South Carolina. The $827,000 outlay was one of the more visible, targeted uses of that reserve in this race.

Late spending and presidential involvement aim to sway undecided voters, boost turnout among supporters, and shape late narratives about viability. In a compressed runoff, such interventions can change margins or momentum, especially when one candidate faces questions about local visibility and another brings fresh recent statewide campaign experience.

• Gov. McMaster appointed Darline Graham to the interim seat and endorsed her on the Friday before the runoff.
• President Trump campaigned in-person in Myrtle Beach for Graham and held tele-rallies on her behalf, including a late-night event the day before the vote.
• MAGA Inc. released roughly $827,000 on the runoff's final day to back Graham.

The late-day super PAC spending and intensive presidential support were intended to shore up Darline Graham's campaign against Rep. Ralph Norman in a tightly compressed South Carolina Republican runoff where name recognition and presence in the state were prominent issues for voters.