Congress
Darline Graham’s challenge: Carry her brother’s legacy while charting her own
Darline Graham was appointed to her late brother’s Senate seat to carry on his legacy — but Republicans don’t expect her to follow his exact same trajectory.
In the handful of statements, interviews and news conferences since Lindsey Graham’s sudden death on July 11, Darline Graham has emphasized that while the two siblings were shaped by the same shared history, she will bring her own style and interests to the Senate.
Her lack of political experience and public exposure, however, has left few clues for deciphering how she’ll approach her new job. It’s relevant now as the younger Graham has quickly shown she’s not just a caretaker finishing out the last few months of her brother’s term, but also a politician launching a campaign for a full six-year stint.
That means she’ll have to thread a tricky political needle as she works to honor Lindsey Graham’s memory by trying to get some of his biggest pet projects passed — while also moving swiftly to build her profile as she competes in a crowded Republican primary this August with President Donald Trump’s blessing.
“Darline Graham is going to be an outstanding continuation of Lindsey Graham’s work for South Carolina, plus more,” Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso told reporters. “She has a very good finger on the pulse of what the people of South Carolina care about.”
Barrasso pointed to her work in “human needs” — a nod to her previous leadership of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind. That’s a different focus than that of her brother, a one-time Air Force military judge who was known for his work in national security, defense and foreign policy.
But the Wyoming Republican, when pressed for details about where he thought the two Grahams might split or overlap, acknowledged that “I haven’t had a discussion on each of the policy issues with her.”
That sentiment was echoed by three other Senate Republicans who conceded they don’t know yet what she stands for or what issues she’ll champion.
According to these senators, granted anonymity to speak freely, Graham did not give remarks during Tuesday’s closed-door lunch when her committee assignments were announced — though they said they understood that their new colleague might be most focused for the time being on honoring her late brother ahead of the memorials scheduled for next week.
Darline Graham entered the Senate with no apparent previous political experience; Lindsey Graham, by comparison, was well known in Washington and on the international stage after spending more than three decades in Congress, first in the House and then in the Senate.
“I don’t think anybody really knows who she is quite yet,” said Jeff Davis, chair of the Greenville County Republican Party.
“But she is her own person and different than Lindsey Graham,” Davis said. “So from our perspective, we’re certainly willing to give her the opportunity and chance, you know, to prove herself to us.”
Since joining the Senate last week following Gov. Henry McMaster’s appointment, Darline Graham has taken several votes on the Senate floor, each in line with the GOP. That includes helping to confirm Kara Westercamp, a nominee for a seat on the U.S. Court of International Trade, who has had to apologize for making critical comments of her late brother and other Republicans in the past.
Graham is inheriting her brother’s congressional staff, helping ease her transition into the Senate but also providing her a similar kitchen cabinet of trusted experts and advisers to guide her. Incidentally, she’s also inheriting all of Lindsey Graham’s committee seats on Judiciary, Appropriations, Budget and Environment and Public Works.
“As a committed conservative with fierce determination, I will use my position on these panels to secure resources for South Carolina, advance President Trump’s judicial nominees and ensure federal dollars are spent responsibly,” Graham said in a statement Tuesday.
Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), who heads an internal panel responsible for deciding committee seats, said in an interview that giving Graham her late brother’s seats “wasn’t automatic,” but that the decision was made after internal deliberations.
“It was just determined that that was the best procedure to move forward because we’re so close to the end of the session,” Crapo said.
While Republicans don’t expect her to be able to fill Lindsey Graham’s shoes on foreign affairs, an area where he had years of experience and a deep bench of personal relationships, she is quickly grabbing the mantle of one of his biggest priorities: trying to pass a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill through the Senate.
Lindsey Graham announced a framework for a sanctions package shortly before his death; Darline Graham made the proposal, which is now named in her brother’s honor, the first formal bill she introduced.
She is working behind the scenes to try to help build support and get the bill through the Senate, something she discussed with Senate Majority Leader John Thune on the floor Monday night. She also told Trump during their White House meeting last week that she wanted to get the measure passed in Lindsey Graham’s honor.
“She obviously carries on Lindsey’s legacy,” Thune, who hasn’t endorsed in the Senate race, told reporters this week. “But I think she’s a very accomplished person in her own right.”
Some Republicans, however, believe she also wants an additional statement of support from Trump for the sanctions bill before it moves in the Senate, according to two people granted anonymity to speak candidly — after the president added a curveball into negotiations by posting on Truth Social he wanted Iran sanctions added to the package, too.
“I think that the question has to do with adding Iran and how that’s done,” Thune said in an interview when asked about Darline Graham’s approach on the Russia sanctions bill. “But I think to her credit, Sen. Graham … wants to make sure that the White House is behind whatever that approach is.”
A spokesperson said that Graham “did not say nor did she imply” that she wanted an additional statement of support from Trump, adding that “she is extremely pleased with President Trump’s support for the legislation and is working closely with him to move it forward.”
Graham also announced Tuesday that the first existing bill she is co-sponsoring is the SAVE America Act, the GOP’s election overhaul bill that is the president’s top priority and components of which her late brother, just before his death, was working to incorporate into the party’s third budget reconciliation bill.
Even as Graham is aiming to finish some of her brother’s work, she’s also indicating that she will focus, for the most part, more on domestic policy than foreign policy.
Graham’s office did not make her available for an interview, but she told Fox News’ Sean Hannity during her first TV appearance since joining the Senate that she often questioned her brother on why he would use his frequent media hits to primarily discuss national security issues.
“I understand that’s important. Protecting our borders, national security, absolutely,” Graham said. “I said, ‘But talk about also what matters to the average person. The price of groceries, the price of gas, health care. Insurance, those kind of things.’ That’s what I’m worried about.”
Republicans also view Darline Graham as a more introverted personality not as inclined to seek out the spotlight — especially in comparison to her deeply extroverted brother, who gabbed with reporters around the Capitol and relished his unofficial role as a backchannel between Senate Republicans and Trump, serving as an adviser to the latter.
Graham tipped her hand toward the likely differences, saying in an open letter to constituents Saturday that “I am not Lindsey. I have my own way of doing things.”
“But we were raised with the same values,” she said, adding that she’s “spent my career helping South Carolinians with disabilities find employment and live independently.”
Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) told POLITICO last week that Darline Graham “understood what drove Lindsey. … It’s in her blood. It’s in her DNA.” But Britt deferred to the newest senator when asked Tuesday how she might be different.
“You know, I’m sure, like all of us, we love and respect our family,” Britt said. “[But] we’re our own people, so you’re going to have to ask her those questions.”
Samuel Benson contributed to this report.
GOP Rep. Russell Fry threw his support behind Sen. Darline Graham (R-S.C.) for a full term in the Senate — a key endorsement for the political newcomer who’s locked in a heated primary runoff with Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.).
“On August 25, I’m asking everyone who supported our campaign to join me in supporting Darline Graham for the United States Senate,” Fry said in a statement Friday.
Fry, who unsuccessfully ran in the snap primary to replace late Sen. Lindsey Graham as the Republican nominee on the November ballot, came in third place during the first round of voting. His support for Graham — who entered the race with President Donald Trump’s early backing — will be fundamental in helping her shore up votes in his deeply conservative coastal home region, potentially countering Norman’s dominance in Upstate South Carolina.
It’s a notable shift after Graham and Fry traded fierce barbs in the leadup to the Aug. 11 primary, primarily through attack ads sponsored by their campaigns and outside allies.
Fry claimed Graham “ballooned the size” and doubled the spending of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind, which she has led since 2019. Security in Strength, a Graham-aligned PAC, blanketed local TV with an ad that shows an AI-depiction of Fry’s likeness transposed onto a slice of meat in a frying pan being dumped out by Trump.
Now, Graham and Norman are racing to win influential endorsements from powerbrokers across the state to build a majority coalition ahead of the Aug. 25 runoff.
Graham has received the backing of fellow South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott as well as Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and GOP nominee for Agriculture Commissioner Cody Simpson — both close allies of Trump and Gov. Henry McMaster. Norman has banked the support of several senators — Sen. Rick Scott of Florida and Sen. Mike Lee of Utah — as well as former U.N. Ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.
Former Gov. Mark Sanford, who also ran in the Senate primary and failed to make the runoff, has not yet publicly backed a candidate.
Florida’s primary next week will test whether Debbie Wasserman Schultz can survive her latest fall from grace within the Democratic party she’s served for decades.
Her run in the state’s 20th District has roiled the caucus: Wasserman Schultz, 59, is facing a crowded slate of challengers —several of them younger, several of them Washington outsiders — in an election cycle that has increasingly seen its voters oust longtime incumbents in favor of generational insurgents.
But it’s her decision to run in one of a dwindling number of majority-Black districts after Republicans redrew her former seat that has deeply divided colleagues.
“It’s a painful situation,” says Rep. Yvette Clarke, the Congressional Black Caucus chair. “To have a beloved colleague who made a decision basically to run in a district where historically there’s been CBC representation, and I know that the community has been really disrupted by it.”
The CBC has warned that 19 representatives of 61 could lose their seats this cycle thanks to a Supreme Court ruling making it harder to challenge congressional maps on racial discrimination grounds.
Wasserman Schultz’s gambit is that voters in the district will want someone with her seniority and experience to take on President Donald Trump.
“We have to make sure we’re putting the strongest fighter on the field,” she told Blue Light News after entering the race.
But she’s wholly unwelcome by the rest of the all-Black primary slate. Competitor Dale Holness tried to convince her she could keep her redrawn district blue by running there instead. But Wasserman Schultz refused.
“The biggest disappointment for me, and what makes me most upset, is she was positioned to win that seat better than anyone else in South Florida,” Holness said, “and she gave up that fight for expediency to take something away from a community that has been most loyal to the Democratic Party.”
Now, given her name recognition and more than $3.3 million in fundraising, she’s considered the front-runner for the 20th District.
Some critics view Wasserman Schultz’s race as similar to the controversy that forced her to step down as DNC chair in 2016. That’s when Bernie Sanders supporters accused her of tipping the scales in the presidential primary for Hillary Clinton, and Wasserman Schultz became the face of an establishment critics said was fixated on protecting its power.
Still, Wasserman Schultz maintains a deep bench of supporters from her party – including Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a past CBC chair and a friend going back 20 years. Cleaver campaigned with her in the district and called it a “tough situation.”
“Wouldn’t it be ugly if I’m driving down the street with Debbie Wasserman Schultz in my red convertible, and I see an African American standing on the road without a ride, and they ask me to stop, put Debbie out of the car? Let them get in because they are African American? I don’t roll like that.”
What else we’re watching:
— CONGRESS’ SOCIAL MEDIA STARS: A little known Louisiana Republican just a few years ago, Speaker Mike Johnson has easily cleared over a million followers on X. So too has House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer laps them both, with 3.6 million follows on X. And Senate Majority Leader John Thune — though he’s been at the top of his party for fewer years — is trailing at around 373,000 followers. And apart from leadership, a Blue Light News analysis shows members of the 119th Congress are growing more viral than ever.
— JEFFRIES TARGETS FILIBUSTER, VOTING RIGHTS: Jeffries Thursday spelled out his more ambitious goals if Democrats take control of both chambers. On his agenda: pushing for Senate filibuster reform, passage of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act, a full repeal of the 2010 Citizens United campaign finance decision and changes to structure of the Supreme Court, Jeffries said in comments at the National Association of Black Journalists conference in Atlanta.
Kimberly Leonard, Riley Rogerson and Cassandra Dumay contributed to this report.
Members of the 119th Congress are bigger on social media than ever before.
Dozens of lawmakers boast millions of Instagram followers and nearly 100 have launched TikTok accounts — in spite of Congress’ own attempts to reign in the platform.
With attention so often the most valuable currency on Capitol Hill, large followings can translate to opportunities for members to elevate their profile, drive a narrative or make a stink that’s impossible for leadership to ignore. Generating clippable moments has become a ubiquitous goal of committee work, floor debates and any other congressional business that involves a camera.
And as Democrats and Republicans reckon with generational change in their ranks, the ability to message online has also become a growing litmus test for future party leaders and a prerequisite for any presidential wannabe.
Blue Light News analyzed social media followings on X, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook for all sitting members of Congress to see whose hard work to win reach and influence has paid off. For lawmakers who regularly use both an official and personal account, Blue Light News deferred to the account with the highest following.
Here’s a look at members’ internet cache and how it’s growing:
Standard bearers
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio–Cortez (D-N.Y.), two darlings of the progressive movement, boast huge numbers.
Sanders has a whopping 14.9 million followers on X, 8.9 million on Instagram, 3.7 million on TikTok and 8.2 million on Facebook.
Ocasio-Cortez is the only member of Congress to rival Sanders’ following with 12.6 million followers on X, 9.7 million on Instagram, 4.1 million on TikTok and 2.2 million on Facebook.
Another high-profile progressive, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, stands out with 16.5 million followers across platforms. And Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, who has led a campaign to juice Senate Democrats’ social media presence, has 10.7 million followers on all platforms collectively.
“I’ve always believed in meeting people where they’re getting their information, building community, and shaping their understanding of the world,” Booker said in a statement, adding, “when we use these tools with intention and authenticity, we can break down barriers, strengthen our democracy, and stay rooted in the conversations that matter most.”
For Republicans, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas runs ahead of the pack with his social media following: 7 million on X, 1.3 million on Instagram and 2.8 million on Facebook. Cruz, like most of his GOP peers, does not have a presence on TikTok, but he is dominating Blue Light News podcast scene with “Verdict.”
Breakout stars
One lawmaker capturing major new social media attention this Congress is Sen. John Kennedy, whose folksy clips that regularly feature his exercise machine named “Margaret” have garnered over 1 million followers on X and Instagram.
The Louisiana Republican has also gotten a boost from other users’ almost-inescapable compilation videos of his colorful similes and sayings. The newfound stardom for the senator is also sparking buzz about a potential 2028 presidential bid — which he isn’t ruling out.
Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), a member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has also taken off with explanatory videos and clips of her work on the panel that have drawn in 1.2 million TikTok followers.
2028 buzz
Members weighing a 2028 presidential bid have amassed some of the highest followings in the 119th Congress.
Other than Cruz on the Republican side, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky has over 8.5 million followers across his top accounts on each platform, while Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri — who is not on TikTok — trails Paul with his own 5.6 million followers.
For Democrats, Ocasio-Cortez and Booker lead the pack, followed by Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia with 3.6 million followers; Sens. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Chris Murphy of Connecticut both have about 2.5 million.
Members who previously made White House runs also enjoy large followings. That includes Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, now the Democratic nominee for governor, who has 3.5 million followers and enjoyed attention for posting photos with buff, shirtless firefighters.
Best of committees
Wielding a committee gavel also doesn’t hurt social media engagement, especially on X.
The House Judiciary Committee is led by two social media heavyweights: Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), with his staggering 6.8 million X followers, and top Democrat Jamie Raskin of Maryland, who has just under a million on X.
“We’re using social media every day to counter disinformation and to rally the forces of democracy and freedom,” Raskin said in a statement. “It’s pretty amazing to go from a situation where we used to have to issue press releases whenever we wanted to say anything to a situation where we can communicate directly with millions of people.”
Rep. Maxine Waters of California — the longtime top Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee — also stands out for her 1.4 million X followers.
Across the Capitol, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, has about a million followers on X and, at 92 years old, is famous for doing his own social media posting. He’s gone viral for his earnest use of misspelled words and abbreviations to adhere to the platform’s character limits and enjoys sharing snapshots of his everyday life — such as when he ran over a deer with his car.
First timers
If there’s one star of the House’s freshman class online, it’s Rep. Brandon Gill of Texas. The GOP hard-liner is nearing 1 million followers on Instagram, where he shares clips of his committee appearances or TV hits. He also has over 699,900 followers on TikTok with millions of “likes,” and over 368,700 followers on X.
Behind him on Instagram are Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.), with over 188,000 followers, and Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.), with over 186,000 followers — both on their top platforms.
The goal for many members isn’t just virality — “it’s effective messaging,” McBride said in a statement. “And even if it is just a funny video, we need to break through the toxicity in our discourse and remind one another of our shared humanity. At the end of the day, social media isn’t just a communications tool.”
McBride is also a lead performer on TikTok with 153,600 followers, as is Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.), who is building his own momentum with over 73,900 followers, where he’s seemingly hopping on every trend on the app.
“I always try to reel people in with the fun or interesting stuff, and then I try to keep them around with the floor speeches and the traditional videos that you would expect from a member of Congress,” Subramanyam said. “Both are important.”
Rep. Abe Hamadeh (R-Ariz.) is another freshman on the rise with nearly half a million X followers. “I speak unapologetically, and that tends to get attention,” he said in a statement.
Of Senate freshmen, Sen. Adam Schiff wins in a landslide with 3.3 million followers on X — his top account. The California Democrat rose to prominence as a member of the House, when he was a manager of President Donald Trump’s 2020 impeachment trial.
Leaders in leadership
A little known Louisiana Republican just a few years ago, Speaker Mike Johnson is now widely followed online with 1.2 million followers on his official X account, where every top leader has their most substantial following. His Democratic counterpart, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, has his own 1 million.
On X, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York laps both House leaders with his own 3.6 million X followers. Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota — who has led his party in the Senate for eight fewer years than Schumer — trails with 373,000.
But former Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, who is retiring at the end of this term, still dominates them all, with 8.6 million X followers.
Hard left and hard right
Members who make noise on the House floor are also skilled at grabbing attention on social media.
On the right, firebrand Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) runs away with 5.1 million followers on her personal X account, by far her biggest platform. She’s also amassed a significant following on Instagram, with nearly half a million followers.
And in the universe of far-right social media phenoms, Rep. Thomas Massie is also front and center with nearly two million X followers. The Kentucky Republican, who coined the hashtag #SassyWithMassie and is known for bucking his party, has over half a million followers on Instagram.
Trailing Massie is Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), who has close to a million followers on X. Luna’s personal Instagram account, meanwhile, boasts 791,000 followers.
In the Senate, Sen. Mike Lee of Utah — who has a penchant for waging war with leadership via social media — has 852,000 X followers.
A slate of progressives have also built mega-followings, especially the original members of the so-called “Squad.” Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) has 2.8 million followers on her personal X account, 1.6 million followers on Instagram and over 863,300 followers on TikTok.
Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) also have big networks, with Tlaib passing 1.4 million followers on X and over 745,000 on Instagram. Pressley has nearing a million followers on X and near half a million on Instagram.
And that’s a wrap
As Massie learned the hard way through his primary defeat, social media success doesn’t necessarily translate into electoral victory.
Other members who will not be bringing their million-plus followers back for the 120th Congress include GOP Reps. Dan Crenshaw of Texas, who runs a popular podcast “Hold These Truths,” and high-velocity poster Nancy Mace of South Carolina.
Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett — who juiced her profile in Congress by posting unabashed takedowns of her Republican counterparts — also lost her primary for Texas Senate despite 2.9 million Instagram followers.
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