Ralph Norman

COLUMBIA — It was an old trick that everyone wanted to see again.

Then-Gov. Mark Sanford in 2004 hauled two piglets named “Pork” and “Barrel” into the S.C. Statehouse lobby to punctuate his crusade against bloated budgets and politicians’ pet projects.

The episode was one of his most-famous stunts as governor.

Now as Sanford battles for attention in the 10-way GOP primary race to replace U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham on the ballot, he has pulled out the old pig playbook.

In Columbia on Aug. 6, Sanford hefted two piglets — named “Debt” and “Deficit”’ — in his arms in a picture-perfect reprise of his 2004 stunt to the present-day Statehouse press corps.

One of the piglets, like the pigs of 22 years earlier, even defecated on the ground as Sanford made his remarks before what appeared to be every media outlet in the city.

“If you look at the math of pigs,” Sanford started, “a sow will basically throw a litter off twice a year. A sow can throw off as many as 10 pigs. Which is to say, in the 22 years that have transpired since that press conference, Pork and Barrel — the two pigs at the time — could have had 880 little fellows or little gals.

“Compounding the ones that they could have on top of that, what you're talking about is what Einstein called the most powerful force in the universe: Compound interest,” he added. “And we've seen that math work against us in Washington, D.C.”

Darline Graham splash

Graham’s sister, Darline, has been the presumptive frontrunner in the Aug. 11 primary and to make the likely Aug. 25 runoff. She has been dominating state and national media coverage despite her limited public appearances and ongoing work in Washington, where is was appointed senator to finish her late brother’s term.

She has also had the backing of a supportive President Donald Trump, who urged her to run and has issued multiple statements endorsing her campaign.

Other major players in the Washington establishment have signed on as well, supplying significant financial support from Beltway lobby groups and South Carolina megadonors like Greenville businessman Dan Adams and DCBlox executive Jeff Uphues alongside her new Senate colleagues, several of whom have endorsed her for a full six-year term.

Highly visible among them was the observation of U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C.

“I think Darline will win this race,” Scott, who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee, told Politico Playbook Aug. 6.

It won’t be easy.

Aggregated public polling shows Graham is almost certainly headed to a runoff when polls close Aug. 11, with three major candidates — U.S. Reps. Russell Fry and Ralph Norman along with Sanford — presumably battling it out for second.

All have considerable upside in a hypothetical head-to-head with Graham. They all have been strong fundraisers with different strategies.

Ralph Norman cash reserves

Norman, a top spender in the South Carolina governor’s race, has largely kept his powder dry this round, limiting spending as he seeks to make the runoff.

He has also maintained healthy fundraising, reporting tens of thousands of dollars raised daily in his mandatory reports to the Federal Elections Commission while coalescing the support of the conservative Freedom Caucus wing of the Republican Party, a group which previously aligned behind fellow challenger Mark Lynch in his primary bid against Lindsey Graham in June.

Sanford, who began the race with more than $1 million remaining from his past previous congressional runs, has also had assistance from an obscure allied political action committee formed this year called the American Leadership Action Fund, which has dropped more than $1.7 million in spending to boost Sanford’s candidacy since July 27 despite not reporting any donations as of Aug. 6.

“We are very pleased with the level of support and engagement we have seen, as evidenced by the strong ad buys placed across South Carolina,” said Tyler Newcombe, a spokesman for the PAC.

Russell Fry strong in Myrtle Beach

Fry’s campaign has raised more than $1 million — spending it almost as fast as he’s taken it in — while focusing the brunt of his outreach efforts in parts of South Carolina where the Myrtle Beach-area congressman is less known to voters.

He has also shown an ability to turn out voters in his native Horry County, which led the state in ballots cast on the opening day of early voting Aug. 5 for the Senate race.

An allied political action committee, the Palmetto Leadership Fund, has also spent more than $1 million in backing his candidacy. The group is focusing its efforts on chipping away at Darline Graham’s status with attacks on her support for diversity, equity and inclusion policies as leader of the S.C. Commission for the Blind expected to hit airwaves Aug. 10.

Fry’s campaign also downplayed the theatrics of Sanford’s pig performance.

“You tell me if you see anyone else doing something besides some fun stints with pigs,” said Kayla Lott, a Fry spokesperson. “But actually doing the job of getting to meet with voters, hearing about the issues that they're facing, talking about solutions,” she said, adding, “Russell lives for this.”

Graham does SC media sitdown

Campaigning from D.C., Darline Graham has limited her unscripted campaign appearances, taking no questions from national reporters as she has begun outreach with local press.

An interview with South Carolina ETV is expected to air shortly, while an interview with Greenville-based WYFF TV aired earlier in the week.

Trump also is expected to remain personally involved in the race, her campaign said, while Graham intends to return to South Carolina to campaign after Senate votes conclude Aug. 7.