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Politics

Trump-Aligned Super PAC Spends $827,000 on South Carolina Runoff Election

The MAGA Inc. super PAC spent over $827,000 on phone calls and texts for Darline Graham ahead of her South Carolina Republican runoff against Rep. Ralph Norman.

Published August 25, 2026 at 4:35 PM EDT

The short answer

The MAGA Inc. super PAC spent over $827,000 on phone calls and texts for Darline Graham ahead of her South Carolina Republican runoff against Rep. Ralph Norman.

Trump-Aligned Super PAC Spends $827,000 on South Carolina Runoff Election

The Facts

Who
President Donald Trump, Darline Graham, Rep. Ralph Norman, and MAGA Inc. (super PAC)
What
MAGA Inc. spent over $827,000 on voter outreach for Darline Graham in a South Carolina runoff.
When
Monday (FEC filing) and Tuesday (runoff date)
Where
South Carolina
Why
The spending represents a significant use of the PAC's $400 million war chest to support a preferred candidate in a contested primary.

Timeline of what happened

Key dates and decisions, in the order they occurred.

  1. December 2, 2025

    Matt Van Epps wins Tennessee special election after PAC support

  2. March 11, 2026

    PAC spends $18,000 for Clay Fuller in Georgia special election

  3. August 21, 2026

    President Trump holds in-person rally for Darline Graham

  4. August 24, 2026

    FEC report discloses $827,000 in spending for Graham runoff

MAGA Inc., a super PAC supporting President Donald Trump, spent more than $827,000 to assist Darline Graham in a South Carolina Republican runoff election. According to a Federal Election Commission (FEC) report released Monday, the funds were used for voter phone calls and text messages.

The expenditure comes ahead of a Tuesday runoff between Graham, a political newcomer, and Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC). Graham received a public endorsement and an in-person rally from the president on Friday. The spending marks the first significant financial contribution from the super PAC toward one of Trump's preferred candidates this year.

MAGA Inc. currently holds a fundraising total of over $403 million, according to reports from last week. Prior to the South Carolina race, the group's spending this year was limited to approximately $18,000 for Rep. Clay Fuller in a Georgia special election in March. In late 2025, the group spent about $1.7 million on a special election for Matt Van Epps in Tennessee.

The outcome of this race will serve as a measure of the president's influence within the Republican Party following recent primary losses by his endorsed candidates in Michigan, Minnesota, and Iowa. A win for Graham would demonstrate the effectiveness of using high-volume digital and telephonic outreach to bolster a newcomer against an established incumbent like Rep. Norman. The scale of the spend—nearly $1 million for a single primary runoff—sets a precedent for how the PAC may deploy its remaining $400 million in the final stages of the election cycle.

The shift in spending strategy could influence how other Republican organizations and donors allocate resources in the coming months. If the investment results in a victory for Graham, it may encourage similar late-stage financial interventions in other contested primaries or general election races. The results of the runoff will be determined by South Carolina voters on Tuesday, with the winner proceeding as the Republican nominee.

Summaries are written by The Plain Record to state the facts of a story plainly and without political slant. See our editorial standards, or report a correction.

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Questions readers ask

What happened: Trump-Aligned Super PAC Spends $827,000 on South Carolina Runoff Election?

MAGA Inc. spent over $827,000 on voter outreach for Darline Graham in a South Carolina runoff.

Who is involved?

President Donald Trump, Darline Graham, Rep. Ralph Norman, and MAGA Inc. (super PAC)

When did this happen?

Monday (FEC filing) and Tuesday (runoff date)

Where did this happen?

South Carolina

Why does this matter?

The spending represents a significant use of the PAC's $400 million war chest to support a preferred candidate in a contested primary.