Candidates in South Carolina’s Republican Senate primary are turning data centers and solar energy into key lines of attack as the race enters its final stretch.
Hoping to copy successful progressives and ride the issues to victory over establishment-backed opponents, Rep. Russell Fry and businessman Mark Lynch are targeting front-runners Sen. Darline Graham and Rep. Ralph Norman on the issues, hoping to distinguish themselves in the contest to replace the late Sen. Lindsey Graham.
“We had an earth-shattering moment last night, where one of the candidates who’s not on stage said that she wanted unfettered data centers in the state of South Carolina without local control, without local buy-in,” Fry said during a debate Tuesday, referring to comments Graham — the late senator’s sister — made the previous night. “That’s unacceptable.”
The compressed Republican primary intensified this week as the five leading candidates faced off in two debates ahead of Tuesday’s election. Polling suggests Graham and Norman are the leading contenders, though Fry has gained ground in the latest survey. Lynch and former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford are trailing.
