南卡罗来纳州罗克希尔——今年夏天，达琳·格雷厄姆刚宣誓接任已故哥哥的参议员余下任期，便在椭圆形办公室试图劝说特朗普总统支持林赛·格雷厄姆的对俄制裁法案。
ROCK HILL, S.C.—Darline Graham had just been sworn in to finish her late brother’s Senate term this summer when she was in the Oval Office trying to coax President Trump to support Lindsey Graham’s Russia sanctions bill.
格雷厄姆在接受采访时表示，特朗普起初不愿松口，但她哥哥对该法案执着不已。她告诉总统，任何后果都可以怪到一个悲痛的妹妹头上。特朗普笑了，对她说：“你很强硬。”她说，就是在那时，特朗普请她竞选完整的六年任命，这是她此前从未考虑过的事。
Trump was reluctant, but her brother had been obsessed with the bill, Graham said in an interview. Graham told the president that he could blame a grieving sister for any fallout. Trump chuckled and told her, “You’re tough.”It was then that Trump asked her to run for the full six-year term, she said, something she said she hadn’t previously considered.
特朗普后来叫停了大部分制裁，令格雷厄姆私下里感到失望。她在南卡罗来纳州的命运如今与总统紧密相连。
Trump later halted most of the sanctions, leaving Graham privately disappointed. Her fate in South Carolina was now tied to the president’s.
公开和内部民调显示，格雷厄姆与民主党对手、儿科医生兼枪支安全倡导者安妮·安德鲁斯博士打平或落后，使这个棕榈州几十年来首次变得具有竞争力。10月前两周，格雷厄姆筹款不足60万美元，而安德鲁斯筹得450万美元。安德鲁斯还获得了该州一些知名共和党人的背书，包括前州长大卫·比斯利。
Public and internal polls show Graham tied with, or trailing, her Democratic rival, Dr. Annie Andrews, making the Palmetto State competitive in a way it hasn’t been for decades. In the first two weeks of October, Graham raised less than $600,000, while Andrews, a pediatrician and gun safety advocate, raised $4.5 million. Andrews has also picked up endorsements from some of the state’s prominent Republicans, including former Gov. David Beasley.