Darline Graham On Ending Iran War: ‘Why In The World Would We Stop Now?’

Nicole Silverio Capitol Hill Reporter October 12, 2026 10:31 AM ET October 12, 2026 10:31 AM ET Nicole Silverio Capitol Hill Reporter Font Size: Republican South Carolina Sen. Darline Graham argued against immediately ending the Iran war during a Sunday debate.

Graham defended the conflict during her debate against Democratic South Carolina Senate nominee Annie Andrews by arguing that Iran was close to developing a nuclear weapon, although the intelligence community has provided no public evidence that Iran posed an imminent threat to the U.S. She stated that President Donald Trump needed more time to end the war rather than immediately halting it, despite Americans overwhelmingly disapproving of the conflict.

“Why in the world would we stop now when they’re still dangerous and we’re close to ending the war?” Graham said. “Again, I think the president wants to end the war. I know he does. We all want the war to end. But I support a strong military. I believe in peace through strength.” (RELATED: Darline Graham Barely Fending Off Democrat Opponent In Red State, GOP-Leaning Pollster Finds)

Graham falsely said the war began under Democrats, despite it beginning in February under Trump’s second administration.

Graham led Andrews by an average of two points as of Monday, according to RealClearPolling. The state has not had a Democratic senator since 2005 when former Democratic South Carolina Sen. Fritz Hollings left office.

Republicans control the South Carolina state Legislature, consisting of an 89 to 35 majority in the state House of Representatives and 34 to 12 in the state Senate.

During the primary, Graham stumbled through a question about whether Taiwan and the South China Sea were national security issues for the U.S. during an Aug. 19 primary debate.

“Senator, are Taiwan and the South China Sea national security issues for the United States? If so, why?” Newsmax host Greta Van Susteren asked.

“I’m just going to be honest here. I’m not that informed on national security,” Graham said. “So … But I do support the military.”

Many South Carolina Republicans were caught off guard when Graham entered the race. South Carolina Freedom Conference Chairman Jordan Pace told the Daily Caller on August 11 that the party did not support her serving for a full term.

The Israelis visited the Oval Office on Feb. 11 and pushed Trump to launch strikes against Iran, just days before the war began, The New York Times reported in March. Former Director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) Joe Kent told host Tucker Carlson the Israelis influenced Trump’s decision to go to war and that there was no imminent danger posed to the U.S. at the time the conflict began.

Several Republican candidates facing competitive races called on Trump to immediately end the war. Republican Iowa Rep. Ashley Hinson, Republican Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany and Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers said the war should come to an immediate end, although they previously defended the conflict.

Republican Texas Senate nominee Ken Paxton in leaked audio blamed the war and high gas prices for his struggling candidacy against Democratic Texas Senate nominee James Talarico.

The Senate Leadership Fund, Senate Republicans’ main super political action committee (PAC), poured $5 million into South Carolina Tuesday to help Graham. Republican PACs have spent unprecedented amounts of money into red states, such as Texas and Kansas, while pausing spending in North Carolina, Georgia and other battleground states.

Graham’s late brother, former Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, strongly supported the Iran war and backed a ground takeover of Kharg Island by U.S. troops. He urged billions of dollars be sent to fund Ukraine’s war against Russia repeatedly supported the war in Iraq and Afghanistan and maintained a strong relationship with Israeli leadership. He called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to be assassinated in March 2022.

Public approval for the Iran war fell to 33% in a Pew Research poll conducted between Sept. 28 and Oct. 4. A CNN/SSRS survey found 29% of Americans said they approved of his handling of foreign policy and 71% said they disapproved.

Since the Iran war began in February, U.S. gas prices rose roughly 44% to 50% .The average price of regular gas was $4.36 as of Wednesday, while the average for Diesel was $6.30, according to AAA. The Diesel price in October 2025 averaged $3.68.

Seventeen percent of U.S. adults approved of Trump’s handling of the cost of living, while 26% approved of his handling of the economy overall, according to The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. About half of U.S. adults said they were “extremely” or “very” concerned about being able to fill up their tanks, which increased from 39% in July.