A 24-year-old Democrat achieved a decisive victory in the stronghold of Senator Lindsey Graham, securing a position in the South Carolina House of Representatives.
Keishan Scott captured the seat for rural District 50 with an impressive margin of nearly 41 points over Republican opponent William Oden, based on unofficial results released by the South Carolina Election Commission on Tuesday night.
This district was previously won by then-Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, as reported by The Daily Beast.
“This victory is certainly not solely mine,” Scott stated in a victory address shared on his Facebook page. “It belongs to all the residents of District 50… I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for your vote of confidence.”
The victory positions Scott as the youngest member of the South Carolina House, which is predominantly controlled by Republicans. His success was celebrated by Ken Martin, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee.
“As long as Trump and MAGA Republicans promote a disconnected agenda that prioritizes the interests of billionaires and strips health care from millions of Americans, they will persist in their decline and defeat,” stated DNC chairperson Ken Martin.
Scott’s triumph occurs amidst criticism directed at Graham for his recent visit to Ukraine, where some of his remarks were perceived as detrimental to President Donald Trump’s policies regarding the war-affected nation.
In a video posted on X, the senator indicated that Congress is ready to take measures against Russia, irrespective of President Trump’s endorsement.
Graham lauded Ukraine for its drone strike, stating in an X post, “The ever-resourceful Ukraine employed innovative drone warfare strategies to effectively target Russian bombers and military resources that have been used to harm Ukrainian citizens and devastate their nation.”
Graham proposed that if Russia were to agree to a ceasefire and engage in negotiations, it would deter the U.S. from “revealing its strategies.”
This prompted former Trump strategist and current host of the War Room podcast, Steve Bannon, to vehemently criticize the senator’s actions during his trip to Kyiv.
In a discussion on NewsNation’s Cuomo, Bannon accused Graham of instilling “false hope” in Ukrainians by engaging with President Volodymyr Zelensky and suggesting that the U.S. endorses Kyiv’s significant drone assault on Russia’s strategic bomber fleet, as reported by The Hill.
“We cannot allow Lindsey Graham, and especially Zelensky, to lead us into a third world war with a significant strike against Russia,” Bannon stated to host Chris Cuomo.
These comments come after Bannon’s previous demand for the South Carolina senator to be imprisoned due to his pro-Ukraine position—a remark that received considerable backlash. Throughout the interview, Cuomo persistently challenged Bannon to explain his assertion.
“I fail to comprehend how you could advocate for the imprisonment of a U.S. senator simply because he expresses an opinion you disagree with,” the NewsNation host remarked, adding, “That resembles the most troubling aspects of the deep state and lawfare.”
“No, it is unequivocally — what he is currently doing over there is inciting unrest. He is providing the Ukrainians with unrealistic expectations,” Bannon contended. Cuomo replied: “However, it is not unlawful.”
“So perhaps he is mistaken, but why do you suggest imprisoning him?” Cuomo inquired.
“Two actions should be taken: Either revoke his passport and prevent his re-entry into the country, or incarcerate him if he returns,” Bannon replied, adding, “The assault was audacious.”
“It was ingenious. However, the issue is that it entangles us in a conflict that no one in the United States wishes to engage in,” he continued.
Cuomo then remarked that while he did not entirely disagree with Bannon’s viewpoint, he did not concur with him on the matter of detaining Graham.
“I am merely stating that it is unacceptable to incarcerate individuals simply because their opinions are disagreeable to you. That is the essence of my argument,” he expressed to Bannon. “I am not suggesting that your concerns regarding the potential consequences and the associated risks are unfounded.”
