Sen. Tim Scott backed fellow South Carolina Republican Darline Graham and defended her qualifications during an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press ahead of the state GOP runoff this week.
On Meet the Press, Scott said there was “without question” certainty that Graham is qualified to serve and called her “ready for primetime,” defending her after a widely seen debate mistake that raised questions about her national security knowledge.
Scott also described his endorsement as an “easy choice,” telling NBC he was confident Republicans could hold the seat and expressing optimism about Graham’s odds in the upcoming GOP runoff.
Graham drew national attention after acknowledging during a GOP debate that she was “not that informed” on some national security topics, a remark opponents and some national outlets flagged as a potential liability ahead of the runoff.
South Carolina voters will decide the GOP nominee in the runoff, and Scott — who chairs and campaigns across competitive races — framed his support as both a defense of a colleague and an argument for party unity ahead of the midterms.
Political outlets that covered Scott’s comments said his backing aims to shore up Graham after the debate exchange and to present a united GOP message before the contest.
Sources
- NBC News — Meet the Press interview and transcript reporting Scott called Graham “ready for primetime” and said she was qualified.
- The Hill — Coverage of Scott defending Graham after her debate comment.
- USA Today — Report saying Graham was set to defend her seat in an Aug. 25 runoff and quoting Scott’s support.
- CountOn2 — Local reporting that Scott expressed confidence Graham would win the runoff.
