South Carolina Republicans are reportedly worried about the election pickle President Donald Trump has put them in after the unexpected death of Sen. Lindsey Graham.

In a piece published by CNN on Sunday, GOP officials from the Palmetto State said they were blindsided when Trump’s wish to have the late senator’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, fill his seat transformed from a temporary tribute to a full-on endorsement for her to permanently replace him on Capitol Hill.

With a little more than a week until the special primary election, these South Carolina Republicans are wondering what inspired Trump to anoint the relative political novice as his candidate of choice.

CJ Westfall, chairman of the Dorchester County GOP, chalked the selection up to bad advice.

“We certainly empathize with Darline — and even the president, as Lindsey was a really good friend of his — but he’s certainly getting bad advice,” Westfall told CNN. “We’ve got a lot more exciting options for this seat. It’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity.”

While Westfall was willing to go on the record, other Republicans seemed wary of what could happen if they publicly questioned Trump’s judgment. Some chose to anonymously express concern that the president might not understand what a gamble it was to endorse Darlene Graham in what would be the first open Senate primary in the state in more than two decades.

One Republican state lawmaker said the endorsement felt like the kind of “backroom deal” that would put off voters, while a county GOP official said that the appearance of “a family Senate seat being passed down” wasn’t good optics.

Another Republican state legislator said Trump’s wild card pick had definitely inspired “hard feelings” amongst South Carolina’s right-wing political establishment.

“This was always going to be a little messy because it’s a warp-speed campaign for a Senate seat,” the lawmaker said. “And then Trump threw us all a curveball with Darline. That wasn’t expected. It wasn’t exactly welcomed here, either. But it’s the president’s choice. And voters will have their choice.”

Although Trump’s endorsement comes with a lot of heft, that hasn’t stopped some conservatives from throwing their hats into the ring. The field now includes nine candidates.

State Rep. Jordan Pace, who chairs the South Carolina Freedom Caucus and is supporting Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), said Graham Nordone’s candidacy has caused a ruckus within the Republican base.

“The conservative grassroots, who’s kind of the base of the Republican electorate, instantaneously went against this,” Pace said.

He added that it was too late for the kind of infighting that could threaten the GOP’s chances, calling the special primary election race “as fast and furious as it gets.”

During a Saturday event in Lexington, Graham Nordone confessed she never had any desire to be a politician, but said she was honored to answer Trump’s call to serve.

“I want to stand up for South Carolina, and I want to fight for President Trump’s agenda,” she said at the event, where she spoke alongside her competitors.

Prior to his death on July 11, late Sen. Graham was cruising towards a near-guaranteed reelection for his fifth term in the Senate, as his current term was set to roll over next January.

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