Sen. Darline Graham’s, R-S.C., victory in the South Carolina Republican Senate primary runoff on Tuesday was a pivotal victory for President Donald Trump that reaffirmed his kingmaker status within the party.

The president also scored a big win in a close race in Oklahoma, confounding critics who had celebrated a handful of rare primary losses the last few weeks. 

Gov. Henry McMaster, R-S.C., appointed Graham to fill the seat of her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., after he died unexpectedly last month. The move came with the support of the president, who quickly backed her for a full term even when she was polling with low numbers.

Graham then beat out South Carolina heavyweights to place first in the initial round of the special primary. After the campaign consolidated into a one-on-one race with Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., Trump enthusiastically jumped into the contest with a Myrtle Beach rally on Graham’s behalf.

Former rivals split on whom to back in the runoff. While Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., backed Graham, former Rep. Mark Sanford, R-S.C., and candidate Mark Lynch broke for Norman. 

In the leadup to the runoff, Graham appeared in trouble after she flubbed a debate question by admitting to knowing little about foreign policy, her brother’s signature issue. Ultimately, though, Trump’s endorsement and personal campaigning on her behalf, appeared to carry the day for Graham.

The Associated Press called the race for Graham at 9:01 p.m., at which time she led with roughly 53% of the vote to Norman’s 47%. Trump did not immediately react to Graham’s win, but did publish a graphic celebrating her victory as a Trump-endorsed candidate.

Whether Trump’s personal involvement was truly the deciding factor will be debated. Graham notably won Horry County, which includes Myrtle Beach, by a wide margin, seemingly supporting the idea that Trump’s rally successfully whipped up support.

But the contest represents a marked shift from how the Palmetto State reacted to the president’s endorsement in the gubernatorial race.

Trump backed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, R-S.C., in the first round of the gubernatorial primary. Like with Graham, Evette placed first in that round. But unlike Graham, Evette failed to rally support from the voting bases of the eliminated candidates, most of whom rallied behind state Attorney General Alan Wilson.

The expectation of a lopsided win for Wilson prompted Trump to issue a rare double endorsement that saved his endorsement record. In the Senate race, he refrained from doing so and stuck by his choice of Graham.

The gubernatorial primary was followed by some rare defeats of Trump’s endorsed candidates, including in House races in Florida and Tennessee. Catalina Lauf, his pick to replace Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., lost out to businessman Jim Schwartzel.

This month alone, local media personality Ryan Elijah beat out the embattled Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., while former Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher knocked off Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn.

Perhaps the most embarrassing moment was the defeat of the Trump-backed Amir Hassan in his Michigan House race. Hassan lost to Thomas Smith, who suspended his campaign before Election Day.

Trump’s endorsement also failed to carry MyPillow founder Mike Lindell to the Minnesota GOP nomination for governor. The pillow monger and media mogul lost out to state Speaker of the House Lisa Demuth in that primary contest, despite his national profile and Trump’s endorsement.

But Graham’s win, at least, seems to have stopped some of the bleeding for Trump, and marked a single-cycle turnaround for a Republican-leaning state that previously bucked him. Whether he can ride that momentum to continue shaping party primaries in the coming weeks will be watched closely.

Trump scored another major victory Tuesday night in the race to succeed retiring Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, as former state Sen. Mike Mazzei narrowly won the Republican nomination by defeating sitting state Attorney General Gentner Drummond.

Mazzei and Drummond advanced to a runoff in June and are seeking to replace Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt, who is restricted by term limits and cannot seek reelection. Mazzei will face Democrat Cyndi Munson in November in a state the GOP Kidd is heavily favored to win.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.