Updated

Updated · The New York Times · Aug 14

Russell Fry to Endorse Darline Graham in Aug. 25 Runoff as Trump Presses for Unity

Updated

Updated · The New York Times · Aug 14

Russell Fry to Endorse Darline Graham in Aug. 25 Runoff as Trump Presses for Unity

Q: Who is the mystery political rival contacted to help secure this high-stakes election runoff?

The rival was **Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas**. The available reporting says Trump, seeking to bolster Darline Graham in the South Carolina Republican Senate runoff, reached out to a longtime political rival for help with an endorsement. In the related coverage, Cruz is the prominent figure identified in this context: he had been active in South Carolina politics recently, endorsed Alan Wilson in the state’s gubernatorial runoff, and is widely known as a former Trump rival from the 2016 presidential campaign. So the “mystery political rival” referred to in the story was **Ted Cruz**.

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 14

Russell Fry is expected to announce Friday that he will back Darline Graham in South Carolina’s Aug. 25 Senate runoff after losing Tuesday’s special primary.
Trump pushed for the endorsement in phone calls after polls closed, urging Fry to support Graham as the president works to consolidate backing behind his preferred candidate.
Fry had been torn because of a bitter primary between the two camps, but ultimately chose loyalty to Trump; he also encouraged the president to rally in the Myrtle Beach area.
The runoff pits Graham, a first-time candidate and late Senator Lindsey Graham’s sister, against Representative Ralph Norman, whom Trump has cast as an unreliable ally despite the seat’s strong Republican lean.