Trump-backed candidates win Republican runoff races in South Carolina and Oklahoma

Donald Trump has secured two projected Republican runoff victories in South Carolina and Oklahoma, giving the former president a boost after a series of losses for his endorsed candidates. US media projected that Darline Graham won the South Carolina contest against veteran congressman Ralph Norman, while Mike Mazzei won the Oklahoma runoff for governor against state attorney general Gentner Drummond. The results were reported on Tuesday and were presented as a sign that Trump still retains significant influence over Republican voters.

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In South Carolina, Trump campaigned directly for Graham, travelled to the state and held a telephone rally on the eve of the vote. At a Friday rally, he urged supporters to vote as if his own name were on the ballot, underscoring how closely he tied his political standing to the race. In Oklahoma, the runoff drew more than $9 million in spending after Mazzei narrowly finished ahead of Drummond in the first round of voting in June.

Trump had attacked Drummond as a "fake Republican" and had also criticised him over opposition to a proposed $4 billion aluminium smelter backed by the president. The two projected wins interrupt a difficult stretch for Trump, whose endorsed candidates had lost 10 Republican contests this cycle, including six in the previous two weeks. The losses had come as his approval ratings fell sharply, making the runoff results a personal and political vindication.

Trump had insisted days earlier that his endorsements were "stronger than ever" and argued that recent defeats reflected his support for candidates in difficult races rather than weakness in his own influence. The victories also suggest that his backing can still shape outcomes in party contests, particularly where his endorsement is treated as a central campaign asset. The South Carolina result is notable because Graham defeated a long-serving and well-known Republican figure, while the Oklahoma race highlighted the scale of outside spending and the intensity of the contest.

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Trump-supporting MAGA Inc spent more than $827,000 on voter calls and text messages, a rare use of its reserves in this year's primaries. That level of involvement points to the continuing importance of Trump-aligned political groups in down-ballot races, especially when the former president chooses to make a contest a test of loyalty. The Oklahoma runoff also reflected the broader policy and business disputes that have become part of Trump-endorsed campaigns.

Drummond had opposed the proposed aluminium smelter, which Trump backed, saying it could harm local land and communities. Mazzei, a wealthy former state senator, publicly embraced the project shortly before receiving Trump's endorsement. That sequence shows how local economic questions can become tied to national political loyalty tests when Trump intervenes directly.

What remains unclear is whether these wins mark a lasting recovery for Trump-backed candidates or only a temporary reversal after a run of defeats. The immediate focus will be on how the victories affect Republican primary dynamics and whether they change the tone of future endorsements. It is also not yet clear how much the spending and direct campaigning in these races will influence other contests later in the cycle.

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