Jewish Voter Guide
Darline Graham Nordone
U.S. Senate · SC · Republican
Summary
Senator Darline Graham is the Republican nominee for South Carolina's 2026 U.S. Senate election and will face Democratic nominee Annie Andrews.
Senator Darline Graham was appointed to the U.S. Senate on July 13, 2026, and sworn in the following day to fill the remainder of her late brother Lindsey Graham's term. On August 25, she won South Carolina's Republican runoff and is now the Republican nominee for the November general election. Because she had never previously held elected office and has served in the Senate for only a short period, her public record on the issues covered by this guide remains unusually limited. Her clearest substantive foreign-policy action is her role in advancing bipartisan Russia-Iran sanctions legislation intended to restrict Iran's energy and weapons sectors, terrorism financing, and nuclear program.
Graham has participated in pro-Israel and Jewish-community-facing events since entering the Senate, including a memorial dinner attended by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel's ambassador. Those activities indicate engagement but do not establish detailed positions on U.S. military assistance to Israel, Hamas and October 7, campus antisemitism, Jewish institutional security, political extremism, or Israel's treatment in international organizations.
The record
Positions come from public votes, statements and on-the-record interviews. Every claim links to its source. No aggregate score or grade.
Support for a Strong U.S.-Israel Alliance
- Graham attended a July 2026 memorial dinner for her late brother with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's ambassador to the United States, and bipartisan senators. Netanyahu's office said attendees reaffirmed a shared commitment to combating antisemitism and strengthening the U.S.-Israel alliance. The event demonstrates engagement with Israeli leaders, but Graham has not yet articulated a detailed public position on U.S. security assistance, arms sales, or the broader bilateral relationship.
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Preventing a Nuclear Iran
- In July 2026, Graham joined a bipartisan group of senators in advancing the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. The senators said the legislation would continue sanctions restricting funding for Iran's energy and weapons sectors and limit the Iranian regime's ability to build its nuclear program. The Senate voted 86-12 to advance the measure procedurally; it had not yet completed the legislative process.
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Condemning and Combating Terrorism
- The same July 2026 sanctions legislation backed by Graham sought to preserve restrictions on Iran's energy and weapons sectors. Graham and the other senators said the measure was intended in part to restrict the Iranian regime's ability to support terrorism. This establishes a position on limiting Iranian support for terrorism, but Graham has not yet developed a broader public counterterrorism record.
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Engagement with the Jewish Community
- Graham attended the July 2026 Washington memorial dinner for Lindsey Graham with Prime Minister Netanyahu and Israel's ambassador, where attendees discussed her brother's pro-Israel and anti-antisemitism legacy.
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A note on methodology. This guide is published as an educational reference. The American Jewish Congress does not endorse candidates and does not publish aggregate scores. If you spot a position that needs an update or a better source, please reach the office.