South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham successfully avoided a runoff in Tuesday's primary election, securing his path to a fifth six-year term in the U.S. Senate. Graham spent at least $27 million to fend off his primary opponents, ensuring a decisive victory.
Primary Results
With 57 percent of the votes counted, Graham led his closest challenger, businessman Mark Lynch, by a margin of 58 percent to 28 percent. None of the other four candidates received more than 5 percent of the ballots in the closed primary.
General Election Challenge
Graham, who is 70, will now face Democrat Annie Andrews, a pediatrician who won her party's primary, in the November general election. However, no Democrat has won a statewide office in South Carolina in two decades, making Graham the heavy favorite.
Graham's Senate Career
Graham first ran for his Senate seat in 2002, following the retirement of Strom Thurmond, who served 48 years in the upper chamber—then the record for longest tenure. During his campaign, Graham joked that he wanted to make Thurmond the second-longest serving U.S. senator.
