South Carolina Republican voters nominated Darline Graham for her late brother Lindsey Graham’s former Senate seat on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press, handing President Donald Trump a major win after he helped catapult Darline Graham from relative obscurity to a Senate nomination.

Graham, 62, defeated Rep. Ralph Norman, a staunch conservative hard-liner, in the special Republican primary runoff for Senate. She was aided in no small part by Trump, who hosted a rally for Graham, threw his super political action committee’s weight behind her and even pressured his fellow Republican elected officials to endorse her.

Graham’s nomination to a deep-red Senate seat showed that voters were willing to overlook her lack of political experience and her recent admission that she was “not that informed on national security.” She is favored to beat the Democratic nominee, Dr. Annie Andrews, in the solidly red state in November.

In a victory speech in Columbia on Thursday, the newly crowned nominee thanked Trump for his support, saying that “South Carolina is truly Trump country.”

“I continue to miss Lindsey every day, and there is still a big hole in my heart, but I know he’s looking down, very proud,” she said.

Addressing supporters in Greenville, Norman, 71, said he would call Graham to congratulate her and would support her. But he said he “hated” the results, noting the millions of dollars that were spent against him.

“The president got involved — he has that right,” he said to boos in the crowd. “He has that prerogative.”

Oklahoma governor

Mike Mazzei, a former state senator whom the president backed, narrowly won the Republican nomination for Oklahoma governor.

He defeated Gentner Drummond, the state attorney general, who angered Trump by seeking to block an aluminum smelting project championed by the Trump administration but opposed by many Oklahomans. Mazzei received Trump’s endorsement after backing the project.

Mazzei was leading Drummond by just under 2,000 votes — about half of a percentage point — with more than 95% of the vote reported on Tuesday night.

Mazzei is now favored to replace term-limited GOP Gov. Kevin Stitt — another Trump target — following his November general election race against Democratic nominee and Oklahoma House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson. A Democrat hasn’t won the governor’s race since 2006.

The 10-week runoff campaign spawned more than $14 million in television and digital advertising, most of it from independent groups, and much of it negative, according to the ad-track service AdImpact. That’s on top of the nearly $40 million spent in the governor’s race ahead of the runoff.

Alaska Senate seat

A candidate with the same name as Alaska’s incumbent U.S. senator has advanced to the general election in what will be one of the most closely watched races in the country this fall.

Dan J. Sullivan, who goes by Dan Sullivan, was among the top four finishers after the Aug. 18 primary and on Tuesday moved on to the November matchup, which is a ranked choice contest. The incumbent, Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, and Democratic former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola also have advanced.

The challenger Sullivan, a retired teacher from the island community of Petersburg, sued for a spot on the ballot and succeeded after a judge invalidated a decision by a top state elections official who said he had filed his candidacy with an intent to confuse voters. The allegation was driven by claims raised by the senator and his GOP allies. The state Supreme Court ultimately ordered Dan J. Sullivan eligible for the ballot.

While the challenger sought to appear on the ballot as Republican Dan J. Sullivan, the Division of Elections listed him as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., with no party affiliation. The senator was listed as Dan S. Sullivan, Republican and incumbent.

President Donald Trump endorsed Sen. Sullivan for reelection and called the other Sullivan’s candidacy an attempt to trick voters. Dan J. Sullivan criticized the incumbent for embracing Trump’s endorsement and said the president was “more interested in raising tariffs on our allies than in lowering the cost of groceries, housing and energy.”

This report includes information from the Assocaited Press.