Darline Graham says she's not "that informed on national security," though she does support the military.
The Republican senator from South Carolina, who took over her brother Lindsey Graham's seat after he unexpectedly died July 11, made the comments while responding to a question on if Taiwan and the South China Sea were national security issues for the U.S. during the South Carolina Republican Party debate
on Tuesday, Aug. 18."I’m just going to be honest here," Graham said during the debate. "I’m … not that informed on national security, so — but I do support the military."
She reiterated: "I'm not a polished politician up here. National security is not my thing, not my area of expertise, but I do support the military."
However, while discussing
the country's trade relations with China, Graham said she believes pharmaceutical manufacturing needs to be brought back to the U.S., Greenville News, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported. She also supported bolstering the nation's relationship with Israel.
Graham is running to be brother's full-time replacement
Graham, who was sworn into office as her brother's interim replacement, is now running to be his full-time replacement for a full term beginning in 2027.
She and Rep. Ralph Norman, R-District 5, faced off in the final Senate debate before the Aug. 25 Senate runoff, which will determine which Republican candidate will compete against Charleston Democrat Annie Andrews in November.
While the duo debated on a range of topics from government spending and the COVID-19 pandemic to foreign policy, Graham's comments on foreign policy caught the most attention considering Lindsey Graham was among the Republican Party's most prominent hawkish voices on foreign policy. During more than two decades in Congress, he championed global U.S. military interventions, sanctions and alliances, including amid President Donald Trump's wavering commitment.
Trump, meanwhile, has extended his full support to Graham, and is expected to campaign on her behalf in Myrtle Beach on Friday, Aug. 21.
"RUN, DARLINE, RUN!" Trump had said in a July 17 Truth Social post. Graham "has been a WINNER all of her life and, should she accept, has my Complete and Total Endorsement," the president wrote.
Graham is the first woman to represent South Carolina in the U.S. Senate.
Contributing: Bella Carpentier, Greenville News
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@usatodayco.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: National security is not Darline Graham's 'thing', she says
