Feud spills onto South Carolina debate stage
asserted
Feud → spill → stage
Sen. Darline Graham and Democratic nominee Annie Andrews took their social media feud to the debate stage as they vie for an open Senate seat in South Carolina
COLUMBIA, S.C. --
asserted
they → take → Carolina
Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., and Democratic nominee Annie Andrews took their campaign trail sniping to the debate stage Sunday night, with each candidate arguing their case for the Senate seat in a race that has appeared to become unexpectedly close in the weeks ahead of the midterms.
asserted
that → take → midterms
The issues bounced from Iran to the economy and artificial intelligence, but all seemed to boil down to Graham and Andrews arguing over who was less qualified for the South Carolina Senate seat as they sparred for an hour in their only debate, three weeks ahead of the general election.
asserted
they → bounce → election
Lindsey Graham had been seeking his fifth Senate term when he died suddenly in July.
asserted
he → seek → July
Even though critics routinely criticized Graham for being too conciliatory to Democrats, he won the June primary and was favored to secure another term.
asserted
he → criticize → term
Appointed to serve out the remainder of her late brother's current term, Darline Graham opted to join the crowded field for a special primary, in which she was endorsed by President Donald Trump — to whom her brother was closely aligned.
asserted
brother → appoint → whom
She advanced to a runoff and won.
asserted
She → advance → runoff
Now, with a different Graham on the ballot, the race has seemed to tighten, as Democrats hope to retake control of Congress while Trump's popularity remains low.
asserted
popularity → seem → Congress
Outside groups have poured millions of dollars into the race on Graham's behalf, which has been called an “insurance policy” for the Republican's victory.
asserted
which → pour → victory
Several times Sunday, Graham mentioned her support for the president, although not as stridently as she did during the special primary.
asserted
she → mention → primary
Andrews touched on the Trump-Graham nexus, saying she would stand up to the Democratic Party when she disagreed with pronouncements, something she said Graham, as “the White House’s ambassador to South Carolina,” would not do.
asserted
Graham → touch → Carolina
Darline Graham had worked in state government but had not been directly involved in politics, aside from supporting her brother during his decades in the U.S. House and Senate.
asserted
Graham → work → House
After Andrews also took a swipe at Graham for angling to use her maiden name for political advantage, given her brother’s years of service, the Republican said she had only used her husband’s last name — Nordone — for a social media page, never on legal documents.
asserted
she → take → documents
“My legal name is Graham, it has always been Graham,” the Republican said, adding that she kept the name to maintain a connection to her parents, both of whom died when she was young.
asserted
she → say → whom
On Iran, Andrews brought up Graham's flub from a Republican runoff debate, in which Graham struggled to answer a question on whether the U.S. has a national security interest in Taiwan and the South China Sea — a longstanding contention of both Democratic and Republican administrations — before admitting, “National security is not my thing.”
“If your surgeon said that appendectomies aren’t really his thing, would you still hand him a scalpel?
asserted
you → bring → scalpel
No,” Andrews said, calling Graham “unserious and unqualified.”
asserted
Andrews → say → Graham
At least I’m honest.
asserted
I → ’m → ?
If I don’t know something, I am glad to say it, and I’ll say it again tonight," said Graham, whose brother was a renowned foreign policy hawk and met with leaders around the world.
asserted
brother → know → world
"You are deceiving the people of South Carolina.
asserted
You → deceive → Carolina
You have flip-flopped on everything."
asserted
You → flip → everything
A question over whether they use AI or support guardrails for it devolved into a squabble over Graham's qualifications for office.
asserted
they → use → office
After Graham said she applauded Trump's creation of an AI task force, Andrews said Graham had been a good interim pick to replace her brother but “has shown time and time again that she is not up for the job” for a full six-year term.
asserted
she → say → term
Graham clapped back, “I'm just as qualified as you," to Andrews, who has not been elected to office before.
asserted
who → clap → office
With three women vying for the seat, South Carolina is poised to elect its first woman to the U.S. Senate.
asserted
Carolina → vie → Senate
Two weeks of early voting in South Carolina starts Oct. 19.
___
Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP
asserted
Kinnard → start → http://x.com/MegKinnardAP
The Aporia
