emerson poll

Dispatches

• July 17, 2026 · Dispatch

  Trump endorses Lindsey Graham's sister for a full Senate term, and puts Nancy Mace's decision in a harder box

  President Trump endorsed Sen. Darline Graham Nordone for a full six-year term on July 17, 2026, the same day Axios reported that Rep. Nancy Mace is still considering a Senate bid despite the endorsement. The move closes the appointment lane Mace had been eyeing and forces a choice: run against Trump's chosen candidate in a primary where she trails at 10 percent, or stand down. This dispatch catalogs the full timeline, from Mace's 'I would be an idiot not to at least look at it' media tour on July 12, to her team's viability polling, to the Emerson poll showing her tied for third at 10 percent, to Trump's endorsement of Graham's sister.

• July 16, 2026 · Dispatch

  First poll after Graham's death puts Nancy Mace at 10 percent, tied for third, as pollster says 'no candidate begins as a clear favorite'

  The first poll taken after Sen. Lindsey Graham's death, an Emerson College Polling survey for Nexstar Media fielded July 14 to 15, found no clear front-runner in the Republican scramble for his South Carolina Senate seat. Rep. Nancy Mace drew 10 percent, tied for third with Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and behind Rep. Ralph Norman (16 percent) and businessman Mark Lynch (13 percent). No candidate reached 20 percent, and 'undecided' led the entire field at 18 percent.