Sen. Darline Graham advanced Tuesday to a runoff later this month after failing to capture the majority of votes in South Carolina's special Republican primary, where she had the staunch support of President Trump following the death of her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham.

With 38% of the votes counted, Graham was in first place with 32.6% of the vote, according to the Associated Press. Reps. Ralph Norman and Russell Fry were fighting it out for the second spot in the runoff, with both around 23%. That contest will be held Aug. 25 to determine the party's nominee.

Graham advanced in a crowded field of more than half a dozen GOP candidates. Along with Fry and Norman was former Gov. and Rep. Mark Sanford, who was on track to finish in fourth place. Fry, Norman and Sanford were all on track to win counties in different regions of the state, mirroring the House districts where voters knew them best, with Graham prevailing in others.

The winner of the runoff later this month will face the Democratic nominee, Dr. Annie Andrews, in November.

Graham, 62, was appointed by Republican Gov. Henry McMaster to finish out her brother's term in the Senate at the urging of Trump. The president then pushed for her to run for a full term. Lindsey Graham, who died last month at the age of 71, had been a close ally of the president and key proponent for the war in Iran.

Norman, 73, a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, was first elected in a 2017 special election in his district outside Charlotte, N.C., after Trump tapped Mick Mulvaney, who had represented the House district, to serve as his first budget director. Both Fry and Norman campaigned on their conservative bona fides and alignment with Trump.

Fry, 41, gained favor from Trump after defeating GOP Rep. Tom Rice in 2022 -- after Rice voted to impeach Trump following the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the Capitol. Trump previously said Fry would make a good contender for the Senate race before backing Graham. Fry has said Graham isn't conservative enough, accusing her of supporting diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in her previous role.

The result showed the limits of Trump's pull in the race, in which he backed the relatively unknown Darline Graham against several veteran politicians. In addition to the endorsement from Trump, who has won South Carolina by large margins in all of his presidential runs, Graham was also backed by McMaster and Sen. Tim Scott (R., S.C.).

Some opponents have lauded Graham for her poise following her brother's death, but say she lacks an extensive track record as a conservative and had no experience in elected office.

Some rank-and-file Republicans said they were irritated that the rare Senate vacancy could be handed over to a sibling of the late senator, the first time that has happened in the nation's history. Moreover, Lindsey Graham, while close to Trump, faced considerable dissent from state voters. Critics noted that he received just 57% of the vote in the June primary against businessman Mark Lynch and four lesser-known candidates.

Darline Graham, who spent her career as a public administrator and served as commissioner for the South Carolina Commission for the Blind, has pointed to her experience working with the state government. She also has support from prominent Senate Republican colleagues.

She said while her brother often discussed national security, she also wanted to focus on issues that matter to the average person, such as the price of groceries, gas and healthcare.

"I'm not an expert on Congress. I'm an expert on the problems facing families in South Carolina," Graham said at a candidate event.

She recently co-sponsored a bill named in honor of her brother that overwhelmingly passed the Senate. It aimed to reduce funding for Russia's war effort by targeting Russian energy revenues, expand sanctions on Iran and allow tariffs of up to 100% on top buyers of Russian oil.