Mark Sanford, and businessman Mark Lynch, who lost the Senate primary to Sen. Lindsey Graham in June by nearly 30 points. Whoever prevails, the Republican nominee will head into the general election with a substantial advantage over Democratic nominee Annie Andrews in deep-red South Carolina. An Emerson poll released ahead of the debate showed Norman leading the Republican primary with 22% support. The consensus is that she is struggling to win a majority of support from Republican primary voters. Regarding Trump’s endorsement, Heye noted, “Not everything that happens in a Republican primary is about Donald Trump.