Yesterday’s primaries
Lindsey Graham’s sister Darlene won the South Carolina GOP primary and will be the nominee for Senate in that state. South Carolina is a red state, but she is an unknown quantity. Trump endorsed her – I’m not sure why; perhaps out of loyalty to his friend Lindsey Graham? I’m not at all sure she was the stronger candidate. But hopefully she’ll be strong enough.
In Oklahoma, the Democrat primary for the Senate was won by – you guessed it, another socialist. N’Kiyla Jasmine Thomas is the name, and if this story sounds familiar it’s because it is familiar:
Thomas, a 31-year-old member of the Chickasaw Nation, defeated attorney and minister Jim Priest, 70, in the contest, despite being drastically outspent. …
Thomas is “a self-proclaimed democratic socialist,” she told NBC News in an interview Tuesday morning, though she said she is “not yet” a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. She described democratic socialists as “the next generation” that is “looking to change the system.”
Oklahoma is a red state, and so the Democrat nominee is generally just going through the motions. But these DSA and DSA-adjacent wins remain shocking although not surprising.
The Republican primary winner in the Oklahoma governor’s race was Trump-backed Mike Massei, but the results were close.
I’m already weary of the 2026 elections. And I’m most definitely anxious about them.
neo writes, “I’m already weary of the 2026 elections. And I’m most definitely anxious about them.”
You ‘n’ me both, sistah, you ‘n’ me both.
OK is a religious state with a soft spot for welfare. If it weren’t for religion they would likely be a blue state. I have relatives there, and that has been my impression.
Darlene seems nice but I’m awfully tired of relatives succeeding relatives in what is supposed to be a democratic republic. There are any number of people who could be perfectly decent Senators that don’t share 50% of their DNA with the last one.
— Charles R. Harris
If it weren’t for religion and related cultural issues, most of the red States would blue States. The elite Republican economic agenda is broadly unpopular.
— Niketas Choniates
Same here, NC. I don’t like dynastic succession whether it’s the GOP or the Dems doing it.
That said, if the choice is between D. Graham and Ralph Norman, I don’t know North Carolina well enough to judge which one is the stronger general election candidate. Maybe Graham is more likely to hold the seat than Norman, I just don’t know.
Darlene Graham graduated with a sociology degree from College of Charleston and a master’s in rehabilitation counseling from South Carolina State University, an HBCU school. None of that inspires me with any confidence that she’s even remotely conservative.