Norman supporters boo Trump during concession speech

Supporters of Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) did not hold back their frustration with President Trump during the Senate candidate’s concession speech on Tuesday evening after he was defeated Tuesday in South Carolina’s GOP primary runoff.

“The president got involved. He has that right; that’s his prerogative,” Norman said, eliciting loud boos from the crowd.

The lawmaker responded by telling those gathered that Trump’s “policies are good,” but the Republican said he “never understood” why the president got involved in the race.

“But it is what it is, and I’ll accept it,” he continued. “I’ve always said, something good will come out of this. I don’t know what it is, but something good will come out of it.”

Darline Graham, the sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), secured a victory in the state primary. She was tapped to fill out the remainder of her brother’s term after his sudden death last month.

Trump later encouraged her to seek a full, six-year term in the Senate after the pair met in the Oval Office shortly after the late senator’s death, calling her a “spectacular person” and “a true American Patriot.” She launched her campaign soon after.

Norman, who was flanked by his family on stage, committed during his Tuesday speech to supporting Graham in the general election.

The Republican nominee will face Democrat Annie Andrews, a Charleston pediatrician, in November. The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan election forecaster, rates this race as “solidly Republican.”

While Norman expressed gratitude to the South Carolinians who supported his campaign, he did not hold back his disappointment at the election result.

“I hate it for the state. I really hate it for the state,” he said. “I don’t hate it for me. I don’t hate it for the family.”

“We’re going to be fine, but we did this for service, and I hate it for the state,” the lawmaker added. “But the public, South Carolina, made their decision.”