Graham, Norman pull out stops before Tuesday runoff

MORNING HEADLINES | With less than 24 hours left before Tuesday’s voting starts in the special runoff for the Republican spot on November’s U.S. Senate ballot, the two candidates are pulling out all of the stops today.

Graham, left, will face Norman, right, on Aug. 25.

Look for your televisions, phones and websites to blow up with advertising urging you to vote for newcomer U.S. Sen. Darline Graham, who was just appointed to the seat after the death of her brother Lindsey, or U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, who was planning to leave Congress this year after losing a gubernatorial bid in June.

On Friday, President Donald Trump was in Myrtle Beach for a rally pushing Graham’s candidacy, saying, “For Lindsey, I want it to happen.” At the rally, which was in the congressional district of third-place finisher Russell Fry, who has also endorsed Graham, Trump pledged to fund Interstate 73 to the Grand Strand.

On television, Norman is promoting his congressional experience as a known political entity.

Pundits say the race may be decided by Upstate and Pee Dee voters. They also say that the race may be another referendum on Trump’s power.

Want to get involved? Visit gsepc.org for details on how to get started counting, learn how to identify different pollinators and submit your findings.

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In weekend headlines

CP OPINION, Brack: S.C. race for U.S. Senate seat is oddest in decades. “The November race for a new U.S. senator to serve a six-year term for South Carolina is the oddest in the 72 years since Strom Thurmond became the first person ever to win a Senate seat as a write-in candidate.”

CP OPINION, Zhuang: Tell EPA to keep toxic PFAS out of food, water. “Farming families are discovering toxic “forever chemicals” lurking in sewage sludge used as fertilizer have seeped into soil, water and sometimes even food. Instead of acting on scientific evidence that this so-called PFAS contamination has serious risks, this administration has chosen to bury it.”

CP WEEK IN REVIEW: Data centers raise stakes on proposed utility merger. An expedited six-month deadline to approve the NextEra-Dominion Energy merger has some S.C. ratepayers and environmentalists crying foul.

‘Clear the Shelters’ campaign returns to Charleston area. Local shelters participating in the annual pet adoption drive include the Charleston Animal Society, Dorchester Paws and Pet Helpers.

Gas prices push up across S.C. Gas prices are up an average of five cents to $3.61 per gallon in S.C. over the past week, according to an Aug. 24 release by GasBuddy. That’s 87 cents higher than this time last year.

2028: Buttigieg visits S.C. amid talk of another presidential run. Though he insisted he’s “totally focused on 2026,” likely Democratic presidential contender Pete Buttigieg courted Black voters in a trip to S.C., a key constituency in the state’s first-in-the-nation 2028 primary.

LOCAL: Developer asks to fill wetlands near Charleston’s biggest-ever flooding buyout. A developer is asking to fill more than two acres of wetlands in Charleston’s flood-plagued Church Creek basin.

CALENDAR: How to find cool things to do around town

Our online events calendar has scores of events around the Lowcountry every day, making it the most detailed calendar of what’s happening in the area. Just click on “Events” above at right under the black toolbar. You’ll be amazed at what you find.