Senator Lindsey Graham was the projected winner on Tuesday night in the race for the US Senate, closely watched in South Carolina, defending his Democratic opponent Jaime Harrison with only 36% of the votes counted.
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Graham and Harrison were in a draw for most of the electoral cycle, but despite his opponent’s record fundraising record, Graham managed to secure the seat that Republicans held for almost two decades.
In the previous three races – in 2002, 2008 and 2014 – Graham sailed for double-digit victory, and on Tuesday, even with partial results reported, he was ahead of Harrison 55% to 43%.
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Despite this, Graham faced bitter criticism, even among supporters of his own party, who criticized his policies of change and loyalty to President Trump.
In addition, Harrison surprised with a large amount of money, raising $ 107.6 million – the highest amount of any Senate candidate in the history of the United States – while Graham raised $ 72.7 million.
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But the money alone was not enough for Democrats to take the seat.
Graham’s victory cheered up Republicans in the struggle to retain control of the upper house, which they have dominated since 2014.
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Democrats need a net gain of three seats in the Senate and the White House to win back the majority – or four seats if President Trump is re-elected. Republicans have a 53-47 majority since 2018.
The races in which Democrats had their best pick-up opportunities were against Sens. Cory Gardner in Colorado, Martha McSally in Arizona, Thom Tillis in North Carolina and Susan Collins in Maine.