South Carolina Republicans Fracture Over Stunning Defeat of Darline Graham

Some blamed President Trump for backing the novice candidate after the death of her brother, Lindsey Graham. Others accused Ms. Graham's team of pushing her to run despite her lack of experience.

As Republicans sift through the wreckage of a historic midterm drubbing, one state has especially rankled them: South Carolina.

It was among the most conservative states to elect a Democratic senator in a sea of upsets on Tuesday, prompting some state Republicans to hunt for strategic errors beyond the difficult national environment that might have contributed to their loss of a critical seat.

In public and private, Republican operatives, aides and elected officials have torn into each other over who is at fault for the election of the state's first Democratic senator since 1998. Annie Andrews, a pediatrician, edged out Senator Darline Graham, the Republican appointed to the seat after the death of her brother, Lindsey Graham, by roughly five percentage points.

Some Republicans have pointed fingers at President Trump, who said he felt "very badly" about the outcome and thought Ms. Graham would do better, but took no responsibility for her defeat. Mr. Trump endorsed Ms. Graham in a contested primary and campaigned heavily on her behalf.

In doing so, he snubbed Representative Russell Fry, a White House ally, and set up a bitter intraparty feud with Representative Ralph Norman, an ultraconservative congressman and frequent Trump foil who faced Ms. Graham in a runoff.

"The president should not have gotten involved," Mr. Norman said in an interview with The New York Times this week. "You can't force a person on South Carolina, and that's pretty evident now."

Subscribe to The Times to read as many articles as you like.