In South Carolina, Sen. Darline Graham needs to consolidate Republican support amid tight polling with her Democratic opponent, and must deal with an unwelcome write-in campaign for a former Republican foe.
Rep. Ralph Norman, who lost to Ms. Graham in the August primary, is not doing her any favors and will not urge voters against writing in his name.
On the ballot, voters can write in a candidate of their choice. South Carolina Sen. Strom Thurmond first won in the state as a write-in candidate in 1954, one of the few Senate candidates ever to do so.
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“My stance is, vote your conscience,” Mr. Norman told The Washington Times when asked if he feared a write-in movement could hand victory to Democratic candidate Annie Andrews. “You got a candidate that is, in Darline Graham, who’s supported by liberal PACs … That’s where the frustration is, and [voters] have every right to have that frustration.”
He noted he made a personal commitment to support Ms. Graham.
Ms. Graham, who filled her brother Lindsey’s seat after his unexpected death, won the nomination in August with President Trump’s endorsement.
Almost 48% of Republican voters favored Mr. Norman, a hardline conservative, in the special primary runoff.
Ms. Graham has had just over two months to consolidate support in her first-ever campaign.
Republican former state treasurer Thomas Ravenel has publicly urged voters to write in Mr. Norman’s name, and a separate 5,000-member Facebook group has formed in support of the effort.
Additionally, a website called “writeinralph” has been created in support.
Contacted by email, Avery Milton, a self-described South Carolina resident and owner of a digital media company, claimed credit for the site and for covering all its costs.
“This movement did not emerge out of a desire to elect Annie Andrews,” he said in a statement. “It emerged from genuine frustration with the Republican nomination process and the belief that voters deserve a meaningful voice beyond a party primary.”
He added, “We cannot guarantee how individual votes will ultimately affect the election’s outcome, nor would I pretend otherwise. What I can tell you is that our purpose has never been to elect the Democratic candidate.”
The write-in campaign comes as polls show a tight contest.
The two candidates are tied at 48% in the latest New York Times/Siena Poll, with a 4.3% margin of error.
Ms. Andrews has appeared to welcome the prospect of a write-in movement, which would split the Republican vote.
“I think that’s South Carolinians, who we know have an independent streak, rejecting this premise that Washington, D.C. is going to pick our next senator,” she said in a recent interview with Fox Carolina News. “I respect what Ralph Norman said, that you should vote your conscience.”
Mr. Norman makes clear he’s not involved in the campaign, but expresses his sympathies.
“I’m not part of the write-in movement,” Mr. Norman told The Times. “But there is a frustration that people in South Carolina have about the way this has shaped up. … There’s a real movement that’s taking place all over the state.”
On whether he preferred one candidate over the other, Mr. Norman told the Times, “You know more about Annie than you do Darline,” saying Ms. Graham’s positions are unknown.
“This is kind of an enigma with this particular race,” he said. “It’s a race of two unknowns.”
Mr. Norman has previously said he turned down a request to stump for Ms. Graham.
His continued criticism of the nominee comes as the Graham campaign has tried to consolidate support among hardline conservatives.
C.J. Westfall, chair of the Dorchester County GOP, criticized Ms. Graham in the primary, but now urges voters to support her after the two met.
“There’s a pretty significant write-in Ralph crowd,” he told The Times, saying he stepped up in support of Ms. Graham because he has “a lot of credibility” with conservatives.
Ms. Graham “and her team have gone out of their way to bring in people that were critical, folks like myself,” said Mr. Westfall.
He said he was encouraged by her apparent focus on domestic policy and conservative commitments on immigration and spending.
“While the race remains competitive, I believe that we’ve got the information with enough time to turn out Republicans, and Republicans are coming home,” he said.
Mr. Trump returns to South Carolina for a rally on Thursday, barely a week after his Oct. 20 rally in the state, where he stumped for Ms. Graham.
He will rally in Rock Hill, Mr. Norman’s hometown, in a region of the state where his support was strongest in the primary.
The Graham campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
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