Leftist Twitch streamer Hasan Piker claimed that Democratic Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed is practicing deception by pretending to create distance between himself and Piker, insisting the candidate&#8217;s core positions haven&#8217;t shifted an inch.
Piker, who previously claimed &#8220;America deserved 9/11&#8221; and praised Hamas, pulled back the curtain on El-Sayed’s damage-control act following nationwide outrage over Piker’s latest toxic rant against Jewish Americans. Piker reassured his audience that El-Sayed’s public statements are merely a calculated political play and that El-Sayed remains fully in his camp.
&#8220;There are going to be a lot of people who are already questioning Abdul El-Sayed&#8217;s sincerity on these issues that will then turn around and say, &#8216;Oh, he&#8217;s, you know, he&#8217;s moderating his position on Israel,&#8217; all this stuff. I don&#8217;t think he is,&#8221; Piker said. &#8220;Okay, I will say this. I am literally the person that is being dangled. And I&#8217;m going to tell you once again, he&#8217;s not moderating on his perspective on Israel or anything like that. His reaction to this has always been very good, which is, &#8216;Look, I deal with people that I don&#8217;t fully agree with and don&#8217;t fully subscribe to on a daily basis. This is politics. Politics is about addition, not subtraction, right?'&#8221;
“It&#8217;s smart,” he continued. “It&#8217;s the right way to deal with it and then deflect back to the issues because they are the ones who are engaging in the deflection, okay?”
The political firestorm erupted after Piker <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hasan-piker-delivers-ominous-warning-to-pro-israel-jews">accused</a> Jewish institutions in America of &#8220;making antisemitism worse&#8221; and warning that continued support for Israel would lead to violence against American Jews, comparing Israel to &#8220;Jewish ISIS.&#8221;
The incendiary comments triggered swift backlash. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) condemned the sentiment as &#8220;dangerous and antisemitic,&#8221; while Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-MI) torched Piker as a &#8220;hack who thrives on hate, shock, and awe.&#8221;
El-Sayed issued a weak statement in response, claiming that &#8220;nobody speaks for this campaign besides me and my campaign spokespeople&#8221; and insisting he stands against rhetoric that puts communities at risk.
But Piker said that El-Sayed’s PR pivot is simply theater meant to deflect media scrutiny while keeping his supporters close.
El-Sayed has steadfastly refused to dump his online buddy. On &#8220;Meet the Press,&#8221; El-Sayed <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/el-sayed-shrugs-off-hasan-pikers-9-11-comments">brushed off</a> Piker’s infamous 9/11 comments as just a &#8220;dumb statement&#8221; and whined about &#8220;cancel culture&#8221; instead of condemning Piker.
When <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/cnn-gives-el-sayed-a-chance-to-renounce-hasan-piker-he-does-the-opposite">pressed</a> by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on whether he would renounce Piker following warnings from Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), El-Sayed doubled down, insisting he was focused on reaching Piker’s millions of followers.
Michigan GOP senatorial candidate Mike Rogers slammed El-Sayed’s PR maneuvers, saying, “Abdul&#8217;s attempt at distancing himself from this violent and hateful rhetoric now that he and Hasan won the primary is the epitome of what a conman does — says one thing when it serves him and another when it doesn&#8217;t.”
RNC spokeswoman Natalie Baldassarre has dubbed the candidate a &#8220;terrorist sympathizer,&#8221; and &#8220;America-hating socialist,&#8221; adding, &#8220;His refusal to distance himself from Hamas-hugging radicals like Hasan Piker reaffirms his true allegiance is to terrorist groups, not America. Democrats’ refusal to disavow this clown shows they either share his poisonous ideology or they’re too cowardly to confront it.”
The Daily Wire reached out to El-Sayed&#8217;s campaign for comment.

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Hasan Piker Brags El-Sayed Is Faking Moderation To Scam Voters

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Trump-endorsed Sen. Darline Graham (R-SC) won Tuesday’s Republican runoff and will advance to the November general election, overcoming concerns about the political newcomer&#8217;s lack of experience as she seeks a full term in her late brother&#8217;s Senate seat. 
Graham defeated Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), winning roughly 53.3% of the vote in the runoff to secure the Republican nomination for a full six-year term. Decision Desk HQ called the race at 8:38 pm EDT.
Graham’s runoff victory caps a dramatic rise for a candidate who had never previously held elected office before being appointed to the Senate last month. The race also presented another test of President Donald Trump&#8217;s influence over Republican voters in the Palmetto State. 
On Friday, Trump hit the stump for Graham in Myrtle Beach, making a personal pitch for why the MAGA base should turn out to support her.
&#8220;They say Trump does great when he&#8217;s on the ballot. But when he&#8217;s not on the ballot, his people don&#8217;t come, and they don’t vote for senators, congressmen, and other Republicans,” Trump <a href="https://x.com/theblaze/status/2090947947785601323?s=20">said</a>. “What I want you to do is pretend – please – like I&#8217;m on the ballot. Just come and vote. It&#8217;s so important.&#8221;
Norman’s strong showing revealed <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trumps-pick-to-replace-lindsey-graham-faces-growing-gop-revolt">significant hesitation</a> among Republican voters about handing Graham a full, six-year Senate term. Concerns about her inexperience were on full display during a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lindsey-grahams-sister-admits-in-debate-im-not-that-informed-on-national-security">viral debate-night gaffe</a> where she admitted she was “not that informed on national security.”
“I’m just going to be honest here, I’m not that informed on national security,” she <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYbTRsRnT6U">said</a> when asked whether Taiwan and the South China Sea are national security issues for the United States.
Former South Carolina Republican Gov. Nikki Haley criticized the remark.
“Lindsey Graham was well informed on the United States’ national security. Graham admits she’s not,” Haley <a href="https://x.com/NikkiHaley/status/2089882589918019869?s=20">said</a>. “This is not something you inherit. And it’s critical in the U.S. Senate.”
Graham has previously outlined the differences between herself and her brother on foreign policy, saying in a July interview <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lindsey-grahams-sister-breaks-from-one-of-his-defining-priorities">that</a> she preferred to focus on issues that matter to “the average person.”
Norman, a conservative Republican who endorsed Haley in the 2024 presidential primary, had a long track record in South Carolina politics. He was first elected to Congress in a 2017 special election and previously served in the South Carolina House of Representatives.
“There’s nothing enormously special about him. But, you know what you’re going to get. He is a solid conservative voter,” Ryan Girdusky, a conservative political consultant, previously told<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trumps-pick-to-replace-lindsey-graham-faces-growing-gop-revolt?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=29&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump%E2%80%99s+Pick+To+Replace+Lindsey+Graham+Faces+Growing+GOP+Revolt"> The Daily Wire</a>.
Norman secured endorsements from conservative Sens. Rick Scott (R-FL) and Mike Lee (R-UT), as well as several Upstate sheriffs. Graham, meanwhile, sought to strengthen her conservative credentials while leaning heavily on Trump’s MAGA base.
In a<a href="https://x.com/AdImpact_Pol/status/2085743817810972817?s=20"> recent campaign ad</a>, Graham touted her pro-life beliefs and called for a ban on biological men competing in women’s sports as she made the case for carrying on her late brother’s legacy.
“Lindsey taught me public service isn’t about titles; it’s about helping people. President Trump asked me to run for the Senate to work with him on the issues we care about,” she said. “While I never wanted to be in this position. I’m ready to serve the people of South Carolina.”
Turnout in Tuesday’s runoff was abnormally low, with local officials <a href="https://abcnews4.com/news/local/early-voting-ends-in-south-carolina-gop-senate-runoff-as-officials-cite-voter-fatigue">citing voter fatigue </a>as a key factor behind the depressed participation. If elected in November, Graham would become the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from South Carolina.
Graham entered a crowded special Senate race on July 20 after Trump enthusiastically endorsed her, telling the head of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/im-in-lindsey-grahams-sister-makes-it-official">“RUN, DARLINE, RUN!”</a> South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Graham in July to serve out the remainder of her brother&#8217;s term.
Lindsey Graham died unexpectedly last month at his Capitol Hill home in what the medical examiner’s office believes was an aortic dissection. Before collapsing, Graham reportedly told a staffer he was experiencing chest pain. He had easily won his Republican primary in June before his death upended the race.
“I think that the president was really in a state of grief. He loved Lindsey Graham,” Girdusky said. “And he picked her, you know, very, very, very quickly.”
Graham will now advance to the November general election against Democrat <a href="https://drannieandrews.com/">Annie Andrews</a> in a seat that <a href="https://www.cookpolitical.com/senate/race/488671">The Cook Political Report</a> rates as Solid Republican.

President Trump Holds Campaign Rally With Darline Graham In Myrtle Beach

Republican Voters Choose Replacement For Lindsey Graham In Hotly Contested Primary

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Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed urged a group of young boys to &#8220;have conversations with all your neighbors&#8221; about the upcoming elections in a video he released Tuesday on social media.
&#8220;All our kids are all our kids,&#8221; El-Sayed wrote in the video&#8217;s <a href="https://x.com/AbdulElSayed/status/2092280307596558448">caption</a>.
The Democratic candidate joined the boys, many of whom wore &#8220;Youth for Abdul&#8221; shirts, on a soccer field and explained how decisions made in Washington would affect their futures.
&#8220;My whole job is to go to Washington, D.C., to try and make laws that are better for you,&#8221; he told the boys. &#8220;That&#8217;s the whole point. So you have better schools, so that you can breathe cleaner air, you can drink cleaner water, so we don&#8217;t go send our money to kill other people instead of keeping it here, to protect you and give you healthcare, to make sure your parents have good jobs, that they have protections from a union.&#8221;
&#8220;The world that we&#8217;re building right now is the world you&#8217;re going to live in a lot longer,&#8221; he continued, adding, &#8220;When you are going out having conversations with all your neighbors and talking about elections and voting, what you&#8217;re asking them to do is build a future that&#8217;s better for you guys.&#8221;
El-Sayed told the children that he wanted them to &#8220;fight for their future&#8221; and promised he would do the same if elected to the Senate in November.
Some social media users objected to El-Sayed&#8217;s &#8220;all our kids&#8221; caption, interpreting it as suggesting that children belong collectively to the broader community, and <a href="https://x.com/CatB99261688/status/2092298658897097204">ripped</a> the Democrat for the lack of diversity in the video.
El-Sayed&#8217;s campaign did not respond to a request for comment from The Daily Wire.
The caption El-Sayed used for the post is similar to a quote from civil rights activist James Baldwin, who <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/notes-house-bondage/">wrote</a> in The Nation in 1980, “The children are always ours, every single one of them, all over the globe; and I am beginning to suspect that whoever is incapable of recognizing this may be incapable of morality.” Baldwin espoused many socialist ideals and <a href="https://lvdsa.org/2020/07/08/socialist-spotlight-james-baldwin/">argued</a> for socialism to be implemented in the United States.
El-Sayed has attempted to distance himself from socialism throughout his Senate campaign, telling <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/im-not-a-socialist-michigans-mamdani-has-the-lefts-new-playbook-but-doesnt-want-the-new-label">The Daily Wire</a> in February, &#8220;I&#8217;m a scientist. I’m not a socialist.”
Yet many of El-Sayed&#8217;s <a href="https://abdulforsenate.com/priority/money-in-your-pocket/#h-taxing-billionaire-wealth">positions</a> are indistinguishable from socialist ideals, and he has campaigned with democratic socialists, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). He has also joined forces with Marxist streamer Hasan Piker, whom he refuses to disavow even after Piker made <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hasan-piker-delivers-ominous-warning-to-pro-israel-jews">threatening comments</a> warning pro-Israel Jews to stop supporting the country before somebody “takes action” against them.

Democratic Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed Holds Primary Night Event In Detroit

El-Sayed Enlists Children To Spread Political Message: ‘All Our Kids Are All Our Kids’

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Democratic Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed&#8217;s campaign is facing renewed scrutiny after an Egyptian-American activist sentenced to life in prison in Egypt for alleged support of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2015 has emerged as a financial backer of his Senate bid.
Mohamed Soltan, 38, the president of the American Committee for Middle East Rights (ACMER), has personally donated to El-Sayed’s campaign. The organization he leads has also contributed to Fighting for Michigan PAC, the super PAC supporting El-Sayed.
Federal Election Commission filings show ACMER gave Fighting for Michigan PAC $25,000 on June 12. Soltan also made two contributions to El-Sayed’s campaign on April 15, with his individual giving reaching the federal contribution limit, according to campaign-finance records reviewed by the <a href="https://www.themidwesterner.news/2026/08/egyptian-sentenced-to-life-for-funding-muslim-brotherhood-giving-money-to-abdul-el-sayeds-u-s-senate-campaign/">Midwesterner</a>. 
The contributions add another Islamist-linked figure to the network of donors and supporters surrounding El-Sayed, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/abdul-el-sayed-secures-far-lefts-biggest-victory-yet-over-dem-establishment">who won the Democratic nomination</a> for Michigan’s open Senate seat earlier this month and is seeking to become the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate.
Soltan was sentenced to life in prison by a Cairo court in April 2015 in a case involving alleged support for the Muslim Brotherhood following the military&#8217;s ouster of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi. The ruling came after Soltan had spent nearly two years imprisoned in Egypt and conducted a more than yearlong hunger strike. 
After the Obama administration pressed Egypt for his release, Soltan was freed in May 2015 and returned to the United States. He relinquished his Egyptian citizenship as part of the process that allowed him to leave the country. Soltan is now president of ACMER, a Washington-based nonprofit that describes itself as advocating for human rights and U.S. policy in the Middle East. 
ACMER’s $25,000 contribution went to Fighting for Michigan PAC, which has emerged as a major vehicle for supporting El-Sayed’s political career. Other ACMER officials have also contributed to El-Sayed’s campaign apparatus. ACMER Treasurer Muna Jondy gave $15,000 to Fighting for Michigan PAC on June 7 and $7,000 directly to Abdul for U.S. Senate on June 24, while ACMER Executive Director Kristina Blyad gave $1,000 directly to the campaign. Blyad also serves as treasurer of MERIT PAC, which gave El-Sayed $1,500 on June 3.
As The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/abdul-el-sayeds-mother-worked-for-terror-group-that-funded-bin-laden-and-taliban?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Drew+Berkemeyer&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Abdul+El-Sayed%E2%80%99s+Mother+Worked+For+Terror+Group+That+Funded+Bin+Laden+And+Taliban">reported</a>, El-Sayed’s mother, Fatten Fathy Elkomy, worked for the Islamic American Relief Agency, or IARA, from 1999 through at least 2004. The Treasury Department designated IARA as a global terrorist organization in 2004, accusing its international offices of providing financial support to Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda, and other terrorist organizations.
Elkomy was not charged in the subsequent federal prosecution of IARA, and the records do not establish that she knowingly supported terrorism. She defended her work for the organization at the time, saying she was helping orphans and children who had lost parents.
El-Sayed’s father-in-law, Tayeb Jukaku, meanwhile, has served on the founding committee of the Islamic Society of North America since at least 2007 and previously served as president of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, according to the <a href="https://freebeacon.com/democrats/abdul-el-sayeds-father-in-law-a-top-donor-to-an-el-sayed-super-pac-is-among-top-leaders-of-muslim-brotherhood-organization-linked-to-terror-funding/">Washington Free Beacon</a>.
Both ISNA and CAIR were named as unindicted co-conspirators in the federal Holy Land Foundation terrorism-financing case. A federal judge later ruled that prosecutors had presented “ample evidence” connecting the organizations to Hamas. Jukaku has also become one of the largest financial backers of Fighting for Michigan PAC, contributing at least $200,000 to the super PAC.
The Muslim Brotherhood itself celebrated El-Sayed’s recent Democratic primary victory. The Brotherhood’s official website published an <a href="https://www.ikhwanonline.com/article/275565">article</a> describing El-Sayed as having “conquered the Zionists” and praised his opposition to U.S. military aid to Israel.
Taken together, the connections have continued to raise questions about the political and financial network surrounding El-Sayed as he prepares for the general election; the latest campaign-finance records add another figure with a documented history involving Islamic extremism to the growing list of people and organizations backing his Senate bid.

Michigan Democratic Senate Primary Winner Abdul El-Sayed Holds News Conference Day After Primary Win

Egyptian Convicted For Supporting Muslim Brotherhood Is Funding El-Sayed’s Campaign

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Egypt

Islamic Extremism

Islamic terrorists

Muslim

Muslim Brotherhood

Muslims

Obama Administration

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radical islamic terrorism

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Sharia Law

President Donald Trump has unleashed his massive $400 million war chest for the first time this year in a hotly contested GOP primary as party officials worry the president has yet to focus on key battleground races.
On Monday, Trump <a href="https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00892471/2009583//se">Super PAC MAGA, Inc.</a> made its first significant spending since November 2025, pouring $827,711 into GOTV calls and text messages for Darline Graham in Tuesday’s South Carolina Senate GOP runoff. The group last reported more than $403 million cash on hand.
The South Carolina race appears personal to the president, who hand-picked Darline Graham to fill the shoes of her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, <a href="https://www.semafor.com/article/08/25/2026/trump-tries-to-pull-darline-graham-to-victory">telling a tele-rally </a>audience that he “got her into this whole thing” and “has to make sure she gets in.”
The last-minute push for Graham marks the <a href="https://x.com/rpyers/status/2091977182835097913?s=20">first time</a> Trump has tapped into his hundreds of millions since coming to the rescue of Rep. Matt Van Epps in Tennessee’s closer-than-expected 7th Congressional District special election.
The money dump in South Carolina highlights Trump’s increasing involvement in divisive and hotly contested GOP primaries as he continues to withhold money from key battleground states and races with just 70 days to go until Election Day. 
“Well, I’ve raised a lot, and nobody knows what it is, but I will tell you it’s about $850 million,” Trump said, <a href="https://x.com/RNCResearch/status/2090929512590582107?s=20">teasing</a> his financial involvement in the midterms. “I’ll be spending a lot of that money, and my own money, for candidates that I think are good — Republican candidates that I think are good.”
MAGA, Inc. may be calculating that voter engagement will intensify closer to Election Day, making a larger spending push in late September and October more effective.
“When you add the $850 million to all of the other money that we’ve raised, we’re in very good shape,” Trump added in an August 21 gaggle with reporters.
Perhaps no candidate is more eager for Trump’s financial firepower than Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is locked in a tight Senate race with Democrat James Talarico.
Over the weekend, Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/greg-abbott-downplays-gop-fears-about-texas-turning-blue?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=5&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Greg+Abbott+Has+A+Message+For+Those+Betting+On+Texas+Turning+Blue">downplayed fears </a>that Democrats could flip the Lone Star State blue this year and seize control of the U.S. Senate. “Well, let’s put it in context where Ken Paxton is in his campaign, and that is he was in a three-month-long runoff that demanded capital, it demanded campaigning, demanded his attention, and so he’s just now catching up in the campaign process with Talarico,” Abbott told ABC News.
“Talarico got away with something, and that is with Ken Paxton campaigning against John Cornyn as opposed to Talarico,” he added.
The Senate GOP’s fundraising arms have continued to withhold money from Paxton’s campaign after Trump led the effort to oust incumbent Republican Sen. John Cornyn, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/greg-abbott-downplays-gop-fears-about-texas-turning-blue?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=5&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Greg+Abbott+Has+A+Message+For+Those+Betting+On+Texas+Turning+Blue">The Daily Wire</a> reported. Since then, Talarico has dominated the airwaves while Paxton has struggled to raise money in one of the nation’s largest and most expensive states for statewide campaigns. The <a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/senate/general/2026/texas/talarico-vs-paxton">RealClearPolitics</a> polling average gives Talarico a nearly two-point advantage.
With control of both the House and Senate up for grabs, Republicans face significant headwinds heading into Election Day, including <a href="https://gasprices.aaa.com/">elevated gas prices</a>, the lingering <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/live-updates-iranian-protests-intensify-as-citizens-demand-end-to-ayatollah-rule?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Daily+Wire&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=U.S.+Hammers+Iran+After+Tehran%E2%80%99s+Attempt+To+Take+Out+American+Troops">war with Iran</a>, and President Trump’s low approval ratings. The latest <a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/state-of-the-union/generic-congressional-vote">RealClearPolitics </a>polling average gives Democrats a roughly 6.4-percentage-point lead on the generic congressional ballot.

President Trump Meets With Visiting Argentine President Milei At The White House

Trump Unloads Campaign War Chest For The First Time Of 2026 — In A GOP Primary

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Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed compared Sharia Law to Canon Law when he was pressed by Fox News host Jesse Watters on Monday night on a past eyebrow-raising statement about America&#8217;s opposition to Sharia.
During an interview on &#8220;Jesse Watters Primetime,&#8221; El-Sayed, a Muslim, was confronted with a statement he made in 2022 when he argued that white supremacist forces are behind the effort to prevent Sharia Law from being implemented in America.
&#8220;So getting rid of Sharia Law is white supremacy? Can you explain that one?&#8221; Watters asked.
El-Sayed replied with his own question, &#8220;Do you know what Canon Law is, Jesse? I assume you&#8217;re a Christian, right? So Canon Law is the name for Christian law. I don&#8217;t begrudge you and your right to practice your faith as you choose. I don&#8217;t know why the idea that I could practice my faith that I choose is a problem.&#8221;
&#8220;Nobody is trying to push Sharia Law on anyone else. Just like I hope nobody is trying to push Canon Law on anybody else because we live in an America where you should have the freedom of religion,&#8221; El-Sayed added.
El-Sayed&#8217;s comparison doesn&#8217;t quite match up. Canon Law is the Christian system of rules and practices set up for leaders and members within a specific church. Sharia Law, meanwhile, encompasses rituals practiced within the Muslim faith while also setting up rules for legal systems and public practices.
Extremist Muslim nations, including Iran and Afghanistan, are completely under Sharia Law for their governmental systems. The implementation of Sharia Law in these Middle East countries has led to numerous human rights violations and extreme punishments for so-called lawbreakers, which typically target and oppress women, Christians, and people who identify as LGBT.
In many Muslim-majority nations around the world, Sharia Law is incorporated into public life and used as the basis in civil law — such as for marriage and divorce — while the government adheres to more Western principles.
During his interview with Watters, El-Sayed slammed efforts to ban Sharia Law from being implemented in U.S. legal systems, calling out one bill proposed by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL). El-Sayed said that such efforts are &#8220;deliberately targeting the Muslim community because they&#8217;re different,&#8221; adding, &#8220;As if somehow Muslims are out here trying to push Sharia Law.&#8221;
&#8220;I would never want someone to push their faith on me, and I would never push my faith on somebody else,&#8221; he added. &#8220;When people preemptively go out there and start preemptively passing laws to ban something that&#8217;s not happening, what you&#8217;re trying to do is target a very small community because they&#8217;re different.&#8221;
Watters shot back, saying, &#8220;Sharia Law in Michigan is kind of scary. People don&#8217;t go for that. You know, it&#8217;s like men and women [aren&#8217;t equal], it&#8217;s like physical punishments. People don&#8217;t like that in Michigan. I&#8217;m just saying I don&#8217;t think that&#8217;s a good position.&#8221;
&#8220;Nobody is pushing it,&#8221; El-Sayed said. &#8220;You know what the issue is in Michigan. The issue that people are worried about is not that someone is going to come and put Sharia Law on them. The issue in Michigan is people are worried about how they&#8217;re going to afford their gas. The issue in Michigan is how am I going to see a doctor when I get sick? How am I going to keep my job?&#8221;
In a 2009 interview with The New York Times, El-Sayed said that he had <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/abdul-el-sayed-dedicated-his-life-to-sharia-law">dedicated</a> his life to Sharia Law. In the interview, he was asked about buying his first home, and he said that he had chosen a Sharia-compliant mortgage that avoided interest, which Islamic law prohibits.
“Ultimately, the question is, when I die and I stand before God and go through everything I did in my life, I don’t want to say I did it the easy way instead of the Shariah-compliant way. Not because of fear but because of obligation,&#8221; he said.

WATCH: El-Sayed Makes Bizarre Comparison When Pressed On Sharia Law

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Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is downplaying fears that Democrats could flip the Lone Star State blue this year and, with it, seize control of the U.S. Senate.
In an interview with <a href="https://abcnews.com/Politics/week-transcript-8-23-26-texas-gov-greg/story?id=135865528">ABC News</a>, Jonathan Karl pressed the three-term governor on Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s fundraising woes and whether his political baggage could cost Republicans the must-win U.S. Senate race against Democrat James Talarico.
&#8220;So, I&#8217;ve heard from Republicans, Texas Republicans, who have real concerns about Ken Paxton, the nominee for Senate or for your party. They say he&#8217;s not working hard enough. He&#8217;s not raising money. He&#8217;s got too much baggage. Do you share some of those concerns?&#8221; Karl asked Abbott.
“Well, let&#8217;s put it in context where Ken Paxton is in his campaign, and that is he was in a three-month-long runoff that demanded capital, it demanded campaigning, demanded his attention, and so he&#8217;s just now catching up in the campaign process with Talarico,” Abbott said, adding, “Talarico got away with something, and that is with Ken Paxton campaigning against John Cornyn as opposed to Talarico.” 
The Senate GOP’s fundraising arms continue to withhold money from Paxton’s campaign after President Donald Trump led the effort to oust incumbent Republican Sen. John Cornyn. Since then, Talarico has <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2026/08/20/texas-us-senate-race-donors-ken-paxton-james-talarico/">dominated</a> the airwaves while Paxton has struggled to raise money in one of the nation’s largest and most expensive states for statewide campaigns. The <a href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/senate/general/2026/texas/talarico-vs-paxton">RealClearPolitics</a> polling average gives Talarico a narrow one-point advantage. 
“In that runoff, John Cornyn said he was the kiss of death for Republicans and for the Republican ticket in 2026, that he would be an albatross on the party. He said if he&#8217;s the nominee, we could well experience a massacre and the first Democrat elected statewide,&#8221; Karl pressed Abbott. 
The Texas governor, who is running for a fourth term, downplayed those concerns, arguing that elections “are about choices.”
“And when voters go to make a choice on November the 3rd, the contrast they will see between Ken Paxton and James Talarico is so extraordinary. That choice is going to be easy. And they&#8217;ll be voting for Ken Paxton, and they&#8217;ll be voting against James Talarico,” Abbott said.
Paxton holds his strongest advantage among white voters and men, while Talarico leads among most black and Hispanic voters, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ken-paxton-gets-some-much-needed-good-news-in-race-against-talarico?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=19&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Ken+Paxton+Gets+Some+Much+Needed+Good+News+In+Race+Against+Talarico">according to one survey</a>. Talarico held just a one-point advantage among women after facing backlash over his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/talarico-says-god-is-not-a-christian-in-unearthed-sermon?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=5&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Talarico+Says+%E2%80%98God+Is+Not+A+Christian%E2%80%99+In+Unearthed+Sermon">views</a> on Christianity, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-james-talarico-says-he-loves-trans-children-in-unearthed-clip">“love” for transgender children</a>, and disdain for the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-audio-thats-blowing-a-hole-in-talaricos-christian-persona">American flag.</a> 
Top issues for Texas voters include the economy (30%), immigration (19%), threats to democracy (14%), and healthcare (13%), according to the Emerson College poll. Republican voters rank immigration as their top issue (32%), while Democrats (33%) and independents (31%) rate the economy as their top concern.
Those issues have not stopped either campaign from diving into hot-button cultural issues as both sides wage a fierce battle for Christian voters who will likely play a pivotal role in November. The Daily Wire earlier this week uncovered the Democrat hopeful calling God &#8216;not Christian&#8217; and comparing evangelism to forcing alcohol on young children.
&#8220;Christians and Muslims and Jews all worship the same God,&#8221; Talarico is caught saying in an <a href="https://x.com/LoneStar_PAC/status/2091533921968087104?s=20">unearthed video.</a>  &#8220;Muslims love Jesus&#8230; We are all branches on the same tree.&#8221;
The <a href="https://www.cookpolitical.com/senate/race/488686">Cook Political Report</a> ranks the race as a toss-up.

Texas Gov. Abbott Casts His Vote On First Day Of Early Voting For Primary Election Runoff

Greg Abbott Has A Message For Those Betting On Texas Turning Blue

Greg Abbott

James Talarico

Texas Senate Democratic candidate James Talarico said “God is not a Christian” and compared evangelism to forcing alcohol on young children in the latest unearthed sermon highlighting what critics call the Senate hopeful’s blasphemous views.
In the nearly <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ln7LQbd2xpI">20-minute sermon</a>, titled “God Is Not Christian: Confronting Christian Nationalism,” Talarico seemingly downplayed the divinity of Jesus and appeared to reject a key passage from the Gospel of John stating that Christ is the only way to God.
“There are so many pathways to the sacred. The Islamic mystic Rumi said, ‘Every religion has love, but love has no religion. God is so much bigger than our human categories,’” Talarico said. “God is not a Presbyterian. God is not a Christian. God is not a noun at all. God is a verb. God is not a being. God is being self. God is love, and that&#8217;s why Jesus is against anything that gets in the way of that love between neighbors, including religion.”
The politically charged message, delivered on October 22, 2023, at his home church, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/at-james-talaricos-church-its-offensive-to-respect-gods-pronouns-but-abortions-ok">St. Andrews Presbyterian</a> in Austin, shows the leftist seminarian sharing a text he received from a mentor that mocks the Christian faith — the world’s largest faith tradition and one deeply woven into the fabric of Texas culture.
“It&#8217;s the top reasons beer is better than religion,” Talarico said, before reading off the text from <a href="https://www.staopen.org/staffandleadership">minister Jim Rigby</a>. “Number one, when you have beer, you don&#8217;t knock on people&#8217;s doors trying to give it away,” he said.
Talarico then compared introducing children to Christianity to forcing them to drink alcohol.
“Number two, there are laws against forcing beer on minors who can&#8217;t think for themselves. Number three, nobody&#8217;s ever been burned at the stake because of their favorite brand of beer. Number four, you don&#8217;t have to wait more than 2,000 years for a second beer,” he added to a laughing congregation.
Talarico expanded on the beer analogy as he opened up about his deep disdain for Christianity, blaming what he called the rise of “Christian nationalism” for why he is embarrassed to be a believer.
“If I&#8217;m being very honest, sometimes I hesitate before telling someone I&#8217;m a Christian. There is a cancer on our religion. Until we confess the sin that is Christian nationalism and exorcize it from our churches, our religion can do a lot more damage than a six-pack of Lone Star.”
“There is nothing Christian about Christian nationalism,” he added. “A religion of sharing became a religion of greed. A religion of peace became a religion of violence. A religion of forgiveness became a religion of judgment. A religion of ego transformation became a religion of ego affirmation. Today, Christian nationalists obsess over people&#8217;s private parts while the planet burns.”
In recent years, the political Left has regularly used the term Christian nationalism to smear believers who use the Bible as the basis for their moral and political convictions. Data from the <a href="https://prri.org/research/mapping-christian-nationalism-across-the-50-states-insights-from-prris-2025-american-values-atlas/">Public Religion Research Institute</a> shows that about 46% of white Christians and 39% of Christians of color in the U.S. qualify as adherents or sympathizers of Christian nationalism.
Talarico is part of a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-abdul-el-sayed-compares-his-radical-politics-to-jesus?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=3&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=WATCH%3A+Abdul+El-Sayed+Compares+His+%E2%80%98Radical%E2%80%99+Politics+to+Jesus">host of leftist candidates</a> invoking the Christian faith this cycle to win over voters who have largely abandoned a Democratic Party <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pro-lifer-imprisoned-by-biden-responds-to-doj-shakeup-i-want-to-come-to-some-firing-parties">increasingly hostile</a> to traditional faith voters. 
A survey of Christian voters across denominations last year revealed a staggering collapse in trust in the Democratic Party, with 75% reporting little or no trust in the party, according to data shared with <a href="https://time.com/7294664/they-just-walked-away-new-poll-shows-how-badly-democrats-are-losing-christian-voters-of-all-stripes/">TIME</a>. More than half said they trust the GOP to protect their values, while 70% said they have little or no confidence in the federal government. Adding to the alarm, 61% said life in America has become harder for people of faith over the past decade.
“You can’t be the majority party if you ignore the majority faith in this country,” Doug Pagitt, a leftist pastor and executive director of Vote Common Good, told the outlet. “We know there’s this tension in the party.”
As his November election against Republican Ken Paxton approaches, Talarico faces an uphill battle with Texas’ largest faith group: evangelical Christians. A recent Fox News poll found that 78% of white evangelicals plan to vote against him.

US-POLITICS-DEMOCRATS-TALARICO

Talarico Says ‘God Is Not A Christian’ In Unearthed Sermon

Christianity

Faith

talarico

Abdul El-Sayed, the Muslim socialist-aligned Democrat nominee for Michigan’s open Senate seat, compared his “radical” politics to Jesus, arguing that Christ was also considered a radical in His time.
Newly unearthed audio reviewed by The Daily Wire shows El-Sayed making the unusual comparison during a May interview on “The Progressive Christians Podcast,” when he was asked about left-wing priorities such as Medicare for All, opposition to war, and resisting corporate influence in politics.
“Obviously, Jesus was a healer and very focused on people’s bodies being redeemed, and yet those platforms or policies are being named radical. And we know that you have been referred to as a radical. So, what do you think about that title?” the host asked.
“You know, Jesus, peace and blessings be upon Him, was considered radical in His time too,” El-Sayed said. “And there is a radical nature to being willing to stand forthright in a time of corruption.”
This isn’t the first time El-Sayed has invoked Jesus to justify left-wing politics. Last week, he <a href="https://youtu.be/6NOhIms7QuU?t=886">said</a>, “If you followed the teachings of Jesus Christ, it was about upending the system against the richest and most powerful in the ways that they used their power and their money to subjugate other people. Like, that was the essential teaching.&#8221;
El-Sayed is the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/abdul-el-sayed-took-over-a-dog-slaughterhouse-he-admits-hes-not-an-animal-guy">latest</a> of a host of leftist candidates invoking the Christian faith this cycle to win over voters who have largely abandoned the Democratic Party. 
“Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed thinks he’s the second coming of Jesus Christ, here to save America with an extreme socialist agenda,” RNC Spokesperson Hunter Lovell told The Daily Wire. “Jesus isn’t a pawn for political games, and El-Sayed’s radical terrorist-sympathizing ideology is an insult to millions of Christians.”
A survey of Christian voters across denominations last year revealed a staggering collapse in trust in the Democratic Party, with 75% reporting little or no trust in the party, according to data <a href="https://time.com/7294664/they-just-walked-away-new-poll-shows-how-badly-democrats-are-losing-christian-voters-of-all-stripes/">shared with TIME.</a> More than half said they trust the GOP to protect their values, while 70% said they have little or no confidence in the federal government. Adding to the alarm, 61% said life in America has become harder for people of faith over the past decade.
“You can’t be the majority party if you ignore the majority faith in this country,” Doug Pagitt, a leftist pastor and executive director of Vote Common Good, told the outlet. “We know there’s this tension in the party.”
The survey was commissioned following President Donald Trump’s decisive 2024 victory, when he captured an overwhelming share of the Christian vote, winning large majorities among evangelicals and Catholics to secure another term in the White House. 
Fast forward to 2026, and Democratic candidates — who have largely shied away from talking about faith on the campaign trail — are increasingly embracing leftist interpretations of the Bible to make inroads with religious voters. 
Sarah Trone Garriott, the Democratic candidate for Iowa&#8217;s 3rd Congressional District, emphasized her work as a Lutheran minister while campaigning over the weekend.
“Everyone knows me as the pastor. I am a Lutheran minister. I still preach on the weekends, and this month I’m celebrating the 18th anniversary of my ordination,” Trone Garriott <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lefty-pastor-preached-showing-up-then-we-checked-her-record?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Lefty+Pastor+Preached+%E2%80%98Showing+Up.%E2%80%99+Then+We+Checked+Her+Record.">said</a>. “And one thing that I have learned from ministry is to serve a community well; you have got to show up.” 
The leftist minister, a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), once claimed that challenges to the traditional definitions of men and women are “very threatening” to white men and downplayed concerns about the dangers of the transgender movement for women, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-democrat-candidate-says-trans-ideology-threatens-the-white-male">The Daily Wire</a> previously reported.
In Texas, Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico has likewise emphasized his Christian faith to make inroads with evangelical voters — the <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/religious-landscape-study/state/texas/">largest religious group</a> in Texas — by touting his Christian upbringing despite his support for abortion, describing God as “nonbinary,” opposing the display of the Ten Commandments in public schools, and his affiliation with a leftist Presbyterian denomination.
“As a Baptist preacher in South Texas, [my grandfather] taught me to follow the two great commandments — love God, and love your neighbor,” Talarico says in a <a href="https://x.com/jamestalarico/status/2087706393247952952?s=20">30-second ad</a> before connecting those teachings to lowering the cost of healthcare, housing, and groceries. 
The strategy comes as Talarico faces a difficult challenge among evangelical voters. A recent Fox News poll found that <a href="https://x.com/JWheelertv/status/2082987392626020796?s=20">78% of white evangelical Christians</a> in the Lone Star State plan to vote against Talarico, despite concerns that Ken Paxton’s (R-TX) personal scandals and marriage struggles could alienate the key demographic. 
“Democrats and the Left are increasingly realizing that rather than simply denigrate Christianity, as they did in the past, they&#8217;re better off trying to appropriate the language of Christianity and to use Jesus as a mascot for wickedness,” The Daily Wire’s Megan Basham <a href="https://x.com/megbasham/status/2014010329575940130?s=20">has argued</a>. 
“Obviously, there&#8217;s nothing Christ-like about that, as anyone with even a passing acquaintance with their Bible knows. But the Left is banking on people not being familiar with their Bibles,” she added.

US-POLITICS-SENATE

WATCH: Abdul El-Sayed Compares His ‘Radical’ Politics to Jesus

Christian

With control of the U.S. Senate hanging in the balance, Democrats are pushing to pick up seats anywhere they can — but reports out of Alaska suggest a storm may be brewing for Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola ahead of Tuesday&#8217;s primary.
Peltola, according to several reports, will be going into Tuesday&#8217;s primary without her campaign manager, Anton McParland — who has been with Peltola since 2022 and previously served as her chief of staff.
The Alaska Landmine <a href="https://alaskalandmine.com/landmines/saturday-night-massacre-mary-peltola-fires-senior-campaign-staff-days-before-primary/">reported</a> that several senior staffers were handed walking papers in what the outlet referred to as a &#8220;Saturday Night Massacre&#8221; — leaving other staffers wondering whether they might be next.
New York Times political reporter Kellen Browning <a href="https://x.com/Kellen_Browning/status/2089172446872055865">appeared to confirm</a> at least part of the Landmine&#8217;s story, writing on X, &#8220;This is true [a]nd Anton McParland, Peltola’s campaign manager and former chief of staff, is no longer with the campaign.&#8221;
McParland&#8217;s departure is particularly notable because of just how long — and how closely — he worked with Peltola. By her side since her breakthrough victory to land a U.S. House seat in 2022, he remained on her staff throughout her one term in Congress — first as her deputy chief of staff, then as her chief of staff.
After Peltola&#8217;s 2024 reelection loss, both she and McParland moved on to take roles at lobbying firm Holland &amp; Hart in March 2025. When she launched her U.S. Senate run, he managed her campaign.
Prediction markets have Peltola&#8217;s race — against incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) — as a virtual dead heat, but losing a longtime adviser and campaign manager just hours before the polls open could hurt voter confidence.
Alaska is broadly viewed as a &#8220;must-win&#8221; state for Democrats, who need to pick up four seats in the upper chamber to gain control — and a major campaign shake-up going into Tuesday&#8217;s primary does not project the kind of strong message that Peltola needs to send.
Peltola also scrambled to do some damage control a few days prior, running away from the endorsement of former Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris&#8217;s Fight for the People PAC sent an email last Wednesday promoting Peltola, saying in part, &#8220;If there’s anyone who can flip Alaska and secure the Senate majority for Democrats — it’s Mary.&#8221;
Peltola&#8217;s campaign quickly dismissed the email as unsolicited and said no one on the campaign had been aware of it before it went out: &#8220;Mary isn’t seeking endorsements from anyone from the Lower 48 — her focus is and always will be Alaska.&#8221;
An <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dem-senate-hopeful-runs-from-kamala-harris-support">endorsement from Harris</a>, who performed poorly in Alaska in her 2024 presidential bid, is not expected to give Peltola any kind of boost — and being tied to Harris&#8217;s record and policies could put her at a disadvantage in the typically red state.
Thus far, it is unclear whether McParland&#8217;s exit is related to the campaign&#8217;s attempt to distance Peltola from Harris following that email.
But Peltola&#8217;s campaign shake-up is not the only complication dogging Alaska&#8217;s Senate race: incumbent Sen. Sullivan will be joined on the ballot by another candidate named Dan Sullivan — a retired 5th grade teacher who describes himself as a &#8220;pragmatic Republican.&#8221;
President Donald Trump and a number of others have suggested that his name on the ballot was an intentional move to confuse voters and damage the incumbent, but Democrats have denied any connection with his campaign.
Alaska&#8217;s &#8220;top four&#8221; primary — in which the top four candidates in every primary, regardless of party, advance to the general election — sets the stage for even more confusion in the general election, because both Dan Sullivans could see another face-off in November.

US-POLITICS-ELECTION-PORTRAIT

‘Chaos’ Reigns In ‘Must-Win’ Senate Race For Dems

Alaska

Kamala Harris

mary peltola

Maine Democrats have another headache on their hands after newly surfaced police records revealed that Senate candidate Troy Jackson was involved in a violent altercation nearly 40 years ago — an incident that included him breaking down a door and punching another man.
The March 1988 incident, first reported by the <a href="https://www.bangordailynews.com/2026/08/12/mainefocus/mainefocus-government/troy-jackson-punched-man-pushed-partner-police-report/">Bangor Daily News</a>, occurred when Jackson was 19 years old. According to a Fort Kent Police report and a handwritten statement from the other man, Jackson arrived at a home shortly before 2 a.m. and kicked in the door after being told to leave.
Jackson then allegedly grabbed the man by the throat and swung at him, striking his glasses and cutting his face, according to the report. The man eventually restrained Jackson until one of Jackson&#8217;s friends intervened.
The man also told police that Jackson warned him to stay away from Lana Pelletier, referring ot Jackson&#8217;s girlfriend at the time and longtime partner.
Jackson does not dispute the fight. 
“Nearly forty years ago, when I was 19 years old, I got into a fight with another man. I took responsibility for it then, and I take responsibility for it now,” Jackson said in a statement. “But let me be clear: I have never been violent with my partner Lana, or any other woman.”
The surviving court record shows Jackson resolved the misdemeanor assault case by agreeing to pay the man $50. A background check conducted by the Bangor Daily News found no other criminal record associated with Jackson.
The police report also contains an allegation involving Pelletier. According to the report, Pelletier told an officer that Jackson had “pushed her around” following the altercation and that she intended to seek “cease harassment papers.”
Pelletier disputes that account. 
“I do not remember making the statements attributed to me, and they are not accurate,” Pelletier said. “This is the first time I have seen this report from 40 years ago. Troy and I have built a life and family together and I know the person he has been through the decades since, both as a caring partner and father.”
Jackson and Pelletier —unmarried <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/graham-platners-replacement-accused-of-having-kids-with-cousin">second cousins</a>— have been together for roughly four decades and have two adult sons. 
The revelation comes at an awkward time for Jackson, who only recently emerged as the Democratic Party’s replacement nominee in the race against Republican Sen. Susan Collins after the collapse of Graham Platner’s campaign.
Jackson has already faced questions about his temper during the current campaign.
In 2021, while serving as president of the Maine Senate, Jackson became embroiled in a heated dispute with then-state Sen. Heather Sanborn over legislation. Multiple witnesses told the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/21/us/politics/troy-jackson-maine-senate.html">New York Times</a> that Jackson lost his temper and threw a half-empty water bottle across the room.
The witnesses said the bottle did not hit Sanborn and was not aimed at her, and Jackson later apologized. One Democratic senator who witnessed the incident described it as an “anger spell.” 
Jackson acknowledged that he should not have thrown the bottle, while insisting that he was simply passionate about the issue.
&nbsp;

Maine Democrats Pick Ex-GOP Logger In Must-Win Senate Race

Troy Jackson Admits To Assault After Police Report Surfaces

2026 election

2026 midterm

Assault

Maine

Maine Democrats

Troy Jackson

Sen. Darline Graham Nordone (R-SC), President Donald Trump’s hand-picked candidate to succeed her late brother, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), survived a crowded Republican primary Tuesday, advancing to a runoff for the GOP nomination.
With less than half of the vote reported, Graham led the field of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/08/11/us/elections/results-south-carolina-us-senate-special-primary.html">eight other candidates</a> with roughly 30.5% of the vote, while Reps. Ralph Norman (R-SC) and Russell Fry (R-SC) are locked in a tight race for the second slot. <a href="https://x.com/DecisionDeskHQ/status/2087320545297572183?s=20">Decision Desk HQ</a> projected Graham would advance to the August 25 runoff at 7:28 p.m. ET.
Graham entered the special U.S. Senate race on July 20 following Trump’s enthusiastic endorsement, with the president encouraging Lindsey Graham’s sister to “RUN, DARLINE, RUN!” South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed her to serve out the remainder of her brother’s term earlier this month.
Graham’s advancement to the runoff underscores the power of Trump’s influence in the Palmetto State, which helped propel a little-known candidate with a largely untested political record into the final two.
During a Republican debate, Graham <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/darline-graham-breaks-with-her-late-brother-on-another-key-issue">introduced herself to voters</a>, throwing her support behind a stalled effort to abolish the 60-vote threshold to pass the SAVE America Act.
“One of the first things I did was co-sponsor the SAVE America Act. As I said earlier, I’m willing to stay through recess to get it done. What’s up with recess anyway? Who gets a month off from work?” she asked, adding, “I think we should stay up there and work and get it done.”
“This is where I differ from my brother – getting rid of the filibuster to get this done, because eventually the Democrats are going to get rid of it anyway,” she said.
To ultimately prevail, Graham will have to consolidate support from the Republican voters who backed the other candidates eliminated from the primary. Norman, a conservative Republican who endorsed Nikki Haley in the 2024 presidential primary, has a long track record in South Carolina politics. He was first elected to Congress in a 2017 special election and previously served as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives. 
“There’s nothing enormously special about him. But, you know what you’re going to get. He is a solid conservative voter,” Ryan Girdusky, a conservative political consultant, previously told <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trumps-pick-to-replace-lindsey-graham-faces-growing-gop-revolt?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=29&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump%E2%80%99s+Pick+To+Replace+Lindsey+Graham+Faces+Growing+GOP+Revolt">The Daily Wire.</a> 
Norman has secured endorsements from conservative Sens. Rick Scott (R-FL) and Mike Lee (R-UT), as well as several Upstate sheriffs, while Fry, who represents South Carolina’s 7th Congressional District, has won the backing of 40 Republican state legislators. Graham, meanwhile, has sought to strengthen her conservative credentials while leaning heavily on Trump’s MAGA base.
In a <a href="https://x.com/AdImpact_Pol/status/2085743817810972817?s=20">recent campaign ad</a>, Graham touted her pro-life beliefs and called for a ban on biological men competing in women’s sports as she made the case for carrying on her late brother’s legacy.
“Lindsey taught me public service isn&#8217;t about titles; it&#8217;s about helping people. President Trump asked me to run for the Senate to work with him on the issues we care about,” she said. “While I never wanted to be in this position. I&#8217;m ready to serve the people of South Carolina.” 
If elected, she would become the first woman from South Carolina to win a full term in the U.S. Senate.
Her brother, Lindsey, unexpectedly died last month at his Capitol Hill home in what the medical examiner’s office believes was an aortic dissection. Before collapsing, Graham reportedly told a staffer he was experiencing chest pain. Lindsey Graham had easily won his Republican primary in June before his sudden death upended the race.
“I think that the president was really in a state of grief. He loved Lindsey Graham,” Girdusky said. “And he picked her, you know, very, very, very quickly.”
 The winner of the August 25 Republican runoff will advance to the November general election in a seat that The Cook Political Report rates as Solid Republican.
This is a developing story. Stay with The Daily Wire for updates.

Darline Graham 8/5/26

Trump’s Endorsement Propels Darline Graham Into High-Stakes Senate Runoff

South Caroline

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