Trump, Graham carry county, state
By Bobby Bryant, Editor
In key national races Nov. 3, Darlington County – and South Carolina – stood behind Republican incumbents President Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham. County voters backed Trump 51.9 percent over Democratic challenger Joe Biden (46.9 percent), according to unofficial returns. Statewide, Trump carried South Carolina 55 percent to Biden’s 42 percent. In terms of actual votes, Trump scored 1.3 million in South Carolina to Biden’s 1 million. The national news media called the race for Biden over the weekend, but as of press time Monday, Trump had not conceded. In the staggeringly expensive race for U.S. Senate, in which GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham and Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison spent vast sums on TV commercials, the results were similar. Darlington County voters backed Graham 50.7 percent to Harrison’s 47.9 percent, according to unofficial returns. Statewide, Graham won an estimated 56 percent to Harrison’s 42 percent, based on incomplete totals. In his victory speech, Graham said: “To all the pollsters out there, you have no idea what you’re doing. And all the liberals in California and New York, you wasted a lot of money. This is the worst return on investment in the history of American politics.” Harrison told his supporters: “We proved that a New South is rising; tonight only slowed us down. . . . But a New South, with leaders who reflect the community and serve the interests of everyone, will be here soon enough.” In the race for a U.S. House seat from the Pee Dee area, Republican Rep. Tom Rice defeated Democratic challenger Melissa W. Watson 62 percent to 37 percent.
