U.S. Rep. Sheri Biggs stood before hundreds of South Carolina Republicans in Anderson on Monday and delivered a simple message: pick a side, show up, and vote. With the special U.S. Senate primary runoff between interim Sen. Darline Graham and Rep. Ralph Norman just eight days away, Biggs used her second annual Salute to Liberty event to press party faithful to settle the fight before it costs them in November.
According to Greenville News, Biggs told the crowd at the Anderson Sports & Entertainment Center that Republicans should support their candidate, make their case, and vote — then reunite once the runoff is decided. The event, she said, was built to celebrate faith, freedom, love of country, and gratitude for service members, drawing an audience of Republican voters, officeholders, and candidates. Biggs also urged attendees to keep showing up through the November midterms.
A Rally Born From an Upstate Tradition
Biggs launched Salute to Liberty in 2025 as a formal, catered successor to former Rep. Jeff Duncan's long-running Faith & Freedom BBQ, an Upstate GOP staple that had been held for years at the same Anderson venue, according to PBS. The inaugural gathering last August was headlined by Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and drew about 1,000 conservative voters and activists, as reported by the Post and Courier. This year's edition kept the formula but swapped the presidential-adjacent star power for House leadership, featuring House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, per Greenville News. Governor Henry McMaster and Attorney General Alan Wilson also attended.
Graham and Norman Both Make Their Pitch
Both runoff candidates addressed the crowd directly. Darline Graham, the appointed senator and sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, described herself to attendees as a problem solver, critical thinker and leader, and reiterated her support for anti-abortion policies, the Second Amendment, and the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility Act, per the same Greenville News account. Norman, for his part, presented himself as separate from the Washington establishment while pledging to cut regulations and promote quality growth in South Carolina, and voiced support for the same voter-eligibility measure Graham backs.
The endorsement lines are already drawn. Graham has been backed by former President Donald Trump, Sen. Tim Scott, and Rep. Russell Fry, while Norman carries endorsements from Rep. Nancy Mace, Walterboro attorney Duke Buckner, and Greenville businessman Mark Lynch, according to the report. Norman has also framed his candidacy around support for Trump's broader agenda even as he competes against the president's own pick.
How the Race Got Here
The runoff exists because Sen. Lindsey Graham died on July 11, weeks after winning his Republican renomination in the regular June 9 primary, as CBS News reported. Under S.C. Code of Laws Section 7-11-55, a party's nominee dying before the general election triggers a special primary open only to that party's candidates, according to the South Carolina State Election Commission; filing under that provision opened July 21 and closed July 28. Governor McMaster appointed Darline Graham, then commissioner of the S.C. Commission for the Blind, to the vacant seat on July 13, making her the first woman to represent South Carolina in the U.S. Senate, per the Governor's office.
In the crowded August 11 special primary, Graham placed first with 32.7% of the vote to Norman's 24.7%, according to earlier Hoodline reporting on WYFF News 4's vote tallies. Neither cleared the 50% threshold needed to avoid a runoff, sending the two into the August 25 contest. The South Carolina State Election Commission has said voters who cast ballots in June's Democratic primary are barred from the runoff, while those who voted Republican in June or sat out entirely remain eligible; early voting ran August 19 through 21.
Whoever Wins Faces a Steep Democratic Challenge
The runoff winner will face Democratic nominee Dr. Annie Andrews, a Charleston pediatrician and former Medical University of South Carolina professor, in the November 3 general election. Andrews, who had already been campaigning against Lindsey Graham before his death, won the Democratic nomination on June 9 with 61.5% of the vote, according to The 19th News. She previously ran for Congress in South Carolina's 1st District in 2022.
Her path to victory will be difficult. South Carolina Democrats are seeking a U.S. Senate victory, while the party is also seeking a statewide office win.
Norman's Detour From the Governor's Race
Norman is running for the Senate. Norman has represented South Carolina's 5th Congressional District in the U.S. House since 2017.
Biggs, who represents South Carolina's 3rd Congressional District, will face Democrat Eunice Lehmacher for her own House seat in November. Whether Graham's primary lead and Trump's endorsement carry her through the runoff, or whether Norman consolidates the roughly 42% of voters who backed other candidates in the first round, will determine which Republican carries the party's hopes into a general election against Andrews.
