ANDERSON, S.C. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman says it's a “head scratcher” that President Donald Trump endorsed Sen. Darline Graham in South Carolina's Republican Senate runoff, saying his experience in Congress and business — and consistent votes for Trump’s priorities — make him the stronger candidate to replace the late Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Norman's comments came in a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press ahead of the Aug. 25 GOP runoff to pick a replacement for the senator, who died unexpectedly last month. In a state that routinely elects only Republicans for statewide office, GOP primaries are often the most contentious competitions. Tuesday's winner will face Democrat Annie Andrews in November.
Norman finished second to Graham in a 10-candidate special primary on Aug. 11, though neither won the majority needed to win outright. AP's request for a similar interview with Graham has not been granted.
Darline Graham was appointed as interim senator after her brother's death. She opted to run in the special primary for a full term, something she said Trump — long an ally of her brother — urged her to do. Darline Graham says she's accomplished much during her time as interim, has years of experience running a state agency in South Carolina and will continue to advocate for Trump's goals in the Senate.
Norman said he’s skeptical that South Carolina voters have had enough time to vet the political newcomer for a six-year term, while he’s already been through a statewide campaign this cycle, coming up short in the June gubernatorial primary. He also eschewed the millions being spent on ads against him, much of it from a super PAC that had been aligned with Lindsey Graham and now supports Darline Graham.
Norman backed former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley over Trump in the 2024 presidential primary, but has since been a Trump supporter.
Here are excerpts from AP's conversation with Norman about the race. This transcript has been edited for space and clarity:
A: If you read the mood of the public across the country, it's, “we want gas prices down.” They don’t understand what’s left.
(Trump) did a great job of taking out the nuclear threat that we had for 40 years. … but there’s still a lot of work to be done. The American people do not understand the Strait of Hormuz not being completely controlled by America. That’s what I hear. And gas prices, as a result, are staying high. And I think one of the worst things the president wants is the public to turn on him because he’s not ending it.
Now, what does ending it mean? Well, no one really knows. I mean, does it mean, just a remnant of leaders that are opposed to him? Does it mean bombing? He mentioned that he was going to take out the electrical supplies. He was going to decimate the country. Well, that hasn’t happened. So, I think it’s a communication issue that he needs to get involved with.
So I think he’d be doing himself a big favor to explain more now. He says it’s under no timeline. Well, when the public turns on you, they turn on you.
A: Imagine if I went to (head football coach) Dabo Swinney at Clemson and any of the coaches said, “Look, I got a prospect I want you to look at, and I want them to. They can start. I want you to sign them up. They can start for the next six years.” “What’s the qualifications?” “They're kin to Tom Brady.” Tell me how that analogy doesn’t work here.
It’s politics. It’s votes, and I’ve stuck with it, and I will continue to.
A: It’s not the fact that she hasn’t been in politics. Now, she’s worked at a governmental agency. I’ve run a business. I’ve made money and I’ve lost money, and that’s the drawback for any politician. You need to have done that. I have demonstrated that I want to get the national debt solved, which is the cancer that I see is bankrupting this country, but by dodging debates, that’s going to hurt her, and it should.
You got to get out there and answer all questions.
She can run a campaign like she wants to. What’s happened? She’s told the Washington elite they’re dictating the terms because it’s not South Carolina money. Mine is my money and South Carolina’s money, so they’re dictating the terms and giving her the political answers, like Biden: Don’t show up, be in a basement. His was because he was senile. Hers is they want her to win this election.
The powers that be do not want Ralph Norman in there, and it would be questioned, what’s the return on investment that they’re having to come after me like that? What’s the return on investment for the president? If I were your typical politician, I would say, “No, that makes me mad, I’m gonna stop him at every level.” I’m not gonna do that. I don’t play like that. It would be horrible if Kamala Harris had won this. He saved the country, and I really think that. He should go on Rushmore. He really should. What he’s done, it took guts.
But this one is a head scratcher. I’m gonna win this election. We’re gonna win this election, and unless something happens that I, you know — I can just feel it. People are with us, and I’ve got a record they can’t dispute.
A: No. And I told the president it was a loyalty issue. I came in with Nikki. She’s from South Carolina, and he understands that. And again, anybody can take anything and use it to say that was a reason. Look, the minute she lost (the 2024 presidential primary against Trump), I called him, and my record since he’s been in office has been lock solid.
It’s because I believe in him. I just believe what he’s doing. Now I don’t like what he’s doing now, but he’s president. I give him all the leeway to do it if that’s what you want to do. But he’s done so many good things, right, to me.
Voters have to decide that. I mean, if they want to hold that against me, it’s out there. I’m not apologizing.
A: People bait us, “Are you gonna fire (Senate Majority Leader John) Thune?” Well, it’s deeper than that. One, I wouldn’t do it to somebody that I wouldn’t have a conversation with first. When you fire anybody, you talk with them, and you come to an agreement. You either disagree or agree. I would get with Thune, who is a nice man, from what I've been hearing, say, “How can we work on getting the SAVE Act passed? Now, if it’s still the same, “We don’t have the votes. We’re not going to try anything,” and then I’ll just say, “Well, fine, I’m going to work to replace you, and we’ll see who that is.”
Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP
U.S. Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., answers questions during a forum for candidates competing in a special Republican Senate primary runoff to replace her late brother, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, in Greenville, S.C. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)
U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., speaks with attendees at the South Carolina Republican Party's Silver Elephant Gala on Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Some members of Tupac Shakur's family stepped out of the courtroom Tuesday before prosecutors showed photos from his autopsy at the Las Vegas trial of Duane “Keffe D” Davis, who is charged with orchestrating the 1996 drive-by shooting that killed the rap giant.
Others remained in the courtroom to face the grim facts of what happened to his body.
Dr. Lisa Gavin, a forensic pathologist and medical examiner for Clark County, Nevada, was among the early witnesses on the second day of testimony. Jurors were shown a photo of a green body bag at the beginning of her questioning, followed by a grisly photo of his body. Some relatives who remained in the courtroom looked away. One woman got up to leave once the photos were shown.
Shakur’s cousin Zayd Akinyela said he wanted to stay in court to learn more.
“I feel like the details, especially for people that are close to him, honestly for me helps, helps the grief process. I think we’ve been waiting 30 years to grieve properly,” Akinyela told The Associated Press outside the courtroom. “A lot of people don’t get to grieve until they understand what happened to their loved one and how it happened. He added, “That’s why I wanted to stay and just see for my own personal closure.”
Akinyela said he hadn't known how many times his cousin was shot. Gavin described three bullets, one of which traveled through Shakur's chest, including through a lung. That caused his lung to collapse and bleed, and doctors ultimately removed the damaged lung in an effort to save his life, she said.
Additional bullets damaged his intestines and other parts of his body, she said.
Jurors looked intently at the photos of Shakur’s body, which was bloated and had multiple chest wounds. The nearly full courtroom was quiet. One photo showed his tattoos and the chest tubes that were still in his body from the six days he spent in the hospital before dying.
The images were not shown in the video feed from the trial.
Gavin was not at Shakur’s autopsy but was called as an expert witness because the examiner from 30 years ago has since died.
As Gavin explained the photos, Davis sat still, looking at the screen in front of him. He occasionally whispered in his attorney’s ear.
Family members who had stepped out returned for the testimony of subsequent witnesses.
Akinyela said the photos made him feel “Very angry, very angry, to say the least, very sad.”
But he said, “I’m very spiritual, so just seeing the body doesn’t affect me the same way as it might some people. I do believe that his spirit is still around and still lives on through his family and through his legacy.”
Prosecutors allege Shakur was killed to avenge Shakur’s entourage attacking Davis’ nephew Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson a few hours earlier at the MGM Grand after a Mike Tyson fight.
On Tuesday, jurors were shown the casino's surveillance video of the clash. The camera, which panned back and forth in the MGM Grand, showed a group of people beating and kicking someone on the ground.
The video showed Shakur and his entourage moving quickly through the crowded building in the minutes after. At times, the other men had to jog to keep up with the rapper.
The surveillance footage then showed security and police arriving at the scene and talking to Anderson, who was wearing a number 13 Dan Marino Miami Dolphins jersey.
A few hours later, Shakur, riding in a black BMW with hip-hop mogul Marion “Suge” Knight, was gunned down by shots fired from a white Cadillac that had Davis, Anderson and two other men inside. Davis is not charged with pulling the trigger.
Davis, 63, could get life in prison if he's convicted of murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang. He has pleaded not guilty. His lawyer in the defense opening called the prosecution's narrative “fiction.”
Lawyer Michael Sanft told jurors Davis wasn't previously charged, despite implicating himself in interviews and his memoir, because law enforcement knew that he was “full of crap.”
Shakur remains a cultural icon and is considered one of the most influential and versatile rappers of all time. He died as his popularity was peaking at age 25, and his legend has only grown in the years since.
His rap rival, the Notorious B.I.G., was killed six months later in a shooting that has always been paired with Shakur's in the public memory.
That shooting has already been discussed at this trial and likely will be again. A former Los Angeles police detective testified that Davis was briefly a suspect in the shooting of the rapper born Christopher Wallace, but was ruled out. The court day began Tuesday with a recording of Davis talking to detectives about the Wallace shooting.
Associated Press Writer Rebecca Boone contributed from Boise, Idaho.
Michael Ingram, investigator for MGM Resorts, points to a map of the MGM Grand casino as he testifies during the murder trial of Duane "Keffe D" Davis related to the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur, at Clark County District Court Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas, on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/John Locher, Pool)
Duane "Keffe D" Davis in court for his murder trial related to the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur, at Clark County District Court Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas, on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/John Locher, Pool)
Clark District Court Judge Carli Kierny, center, speaks with defense attorney Michael Sanft, left, and Chief Deputy District Attorney Marc DiGiacomo during the murder trial of Duane "Keffe D" Davis related to the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur, at Clark County District Court Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas, on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/John Locher, Pool)
Duane Davis listens as Brent Becker, a retired Las Vegas Metro Police Department homicide detective, testifies by video feed during his murder trial, related to the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur, at Clark County District Court Regional Justice Center, Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Pool Photo via AP)
Michael Sanft, attorney for Duane Davis, left, asks a question to Garry Dale, a former Las Vegas Metro Police Department officer, during the Duane Davis murder trial, related to the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur, at Clark County District Court Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas,, Monday, Aug. 17, 2026. (Steve Marcus/Pool Photo via AP)
An illustration is displayed during the Duane Davis murder trial, related to the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur, at Clark County District Court Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas, Monday, Aug. 17, 2026. (Steve Marcus/Pool Photo via AP)
District Court Judge Carli Kierny confers with Michael Sanft, attorney for Duane Davis, left, and Chief Deputy District Attorneys Marc DiGiacomo, center, and Binu Palal, during the Duane Davis murder trial, related to the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur, at Clark County District Court Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas, Monday, Aug. 17, 2026. (Steve Marcus/Pool Photo via AP)
Duane Davis appears in court during his murder trial, related to the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur, at Clark County District Court Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas, Monday, Aug. 17, 2026. (Steve Marcus/Pool Photo via AP)
