COLUMBIA, S.C. — A grassroots campaign is asking some South Carolina Republicans to skip their party’s nominee for U.S. Senate in Tuesday’s statewide general election and write in a name that is not on the ballot: U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman.
The effort, branded Write-In Ralph, is aimed at Sen. Darline Graham, the Republican nominee, who carries President Donald Trump’s endorsement. Graham was appointed to the seat after her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, died on July 11, becoming the first sibling ever named to fill a Senate vacancy. She initially framed the appointment as a chance to finish out his term before entering the race for a full six years with Trump’s backing.
Norman, who represents the 5th Congressional District, lost to Graham in the August Republican primary and has kept his distance from her campaign since, declining to appear with her. Organizers of the write-in drive say they want a senator who weighs issues independently, and their frustration has been strongest in the Upstate, where Norman has a loyal following.
History suggests the movement faces long odds. In the 2022 Senate race in South Carolina, write-in votes made up just 0.1 percent of all ballots cast. Nationally, the best-known exception came in 2010, when Lisa Murkowski of Alaska kept her seat through a write-in campaign after losing her primary.
Any GOP defections could matter to Democrat Annie Andrews, who is trying to become the first Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from South Carolina since 1998.
Under South Carolina Election Commission rules, write-in votes are allowed in general elections such as Tuesday’s statewide vote for every office except president and vice president. On a touchscreen machine, voters tap the write-in space under the office and type the name on an on-screen keyboard. On a paper ballot, the name must be written by hand, without stickers or stamps, and the oval beside the write-in line must be filled in.
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