Fact Check: Is Darline Graham’s claim that 50M people live in South Carolina true?

WASHINGTON, DC: A viral clip from a South Carolina Senate runoff debate showed Republican candidate Darline Graham claiming that 50 million people live in the state. 

The remark quickly drew attention online as she faced Rep Ralph Norman in the Republican runoff ahead of the August 25 primary. Is the claim true?

Claim: Darlene Graham says 'there are 50 million people in SC'

During Tuesday’s Newsmax-hosted runoff debate, Trump-endorsed Senator Darline Graham faced Rep Ralph Norman as they competed for the Republican nomination to replace her late brother, Lindsey Graham. The debate came ahead of the August 25 runoff.

A clip from the debate drew attention after Graham appeared to misstate South Carolina’s population. An X user shared the moment, writing, “Trump-endorsed Senate candidate Darlene Graham: ‘There’s 50 million people in SC.’” South Carolina has about 5.5 million residents.

The remark quickly drew criticism online. One user questioned her qualifications, writing, “Not to violate whatever’s left of the Voting Rights Act with some kind of literacy test, but shouldn’t a Senate candidate at least know how to count?"

Others focused on Graham’s connection to the Senate seat she is seeking. One X user wrote, “Darline Graham just took over in her brother’s seat for South Carolina."

Another mocked the remark, saying, "She'd better watch out; if she keeps giving answers like this, she'll be making Tommy Tuberville look like a Mensa genius and that ain't easy."

Fact Check: False

The claim is false. Rep Nancy Mace quickly responded to the debate remark on X and corrected Graham’s figure, pointing out that South Carolina has about 5.5 million residents, not 50 million.

Mace criticized Graham’s performance, writing, “Darlene Graham doesn't even know how many people live in South Carolina!” She added, “Here she is saying 50 million people live here. Darlene darling, approximately 5.5 million people, not 50 million people live in South Carolina. I can't even right now with this Senate race.”

Mace then urged her followers to support Graham’s Republican runoff opponent, writing, “Vote Ralph Norman.”

During the debate, Graham also faced boos from the audience after making another controversial remark. The 62-year-old Republican was seeking to win the Senate seat previously held by her late brother, Lindsey Graham, with the support of President Donald Trump.

During Tuesday’s debate in Newberry, co-moderator Greta Van Susteren asked Graham whether Taiwan and the South China Sea were national security issues for the United States. After asking Van Susteren to repeat the question, Graham admitted, “I’m just going to be honest here... I’m not that informed on national security.”

The comment drew boos from the audience. Graham then defended her support for the military by pointing to her late brother’s 33 years in the US Air Force and her father’s service in the US Army.