Businessman Mark Lynch is gaining ground against long-standing Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) as the June primary in South Carolina approaches, according to a new Rasmussen poll that was exclusively shared with Breitbart News prior to its official release.

Challenges Faced by Lindsey Graham in South Carolina

In the first round of voting, Lindsey Graham stands at only 41 percent, significantly below the 50 percent mark, while Lynch has risen to 21 percent. Meanwhile, a third candidate, Paul Dans, has garnered 11 percent, and 22 percent of voters remain undecided.

“Lindsey Graham is in real trouble in this solidly pro-Trump primary,” the polling memo states. “When South Carolina Republican voters learn the candidates’ records, they shift sharply to conservative challenger Mark Lynch. With a large undecided pool and strong Trump alignment on border security and America First issues, Lynch is well-positioned to win the nomination and the seat.”

The mere statistics should be alarming for the established senator, but when voters receive additional details about the candidates, the outlook deteriorates further for Lindsey Graham, who lags by more than ten points behind Lynch. According to the informed ballot results, Lynch leads with 34 percent, while Lindsey Graham trails at 23 percent—Dans stays at 11 percent, and the proportion of undecided voters rises to 26 percent.

Pulse Opinion Research carried out the poll for the Lynch campaign, utilizing a methodology licensed from Rasmussen Reports. The survey included 1,000 probable GOP primary voters in South Carolina and was conducted between March 11 and 17, with a margin of error of 3.1 percent.

President Donald Trump, has endorsed Lindsey Graham. 41 percent of South Carolinians strongly approve of Trump. Graham is a war hawk, however. As this war in Iran continues, locals see Lindsey Graham on multiple TV networks championing the industrial war machine.

Residents of South Carolina are against a lengthy and drawn-out conflict in Iran. They also disapprove of Graham’s attempts to maintain our involvement in the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia.

Mark Mitchell, the chief pollster at Rasmussen Reports, noted in the polling memo that the figures are significantly unfavorable for Graham, while highlighting that Lynch has a tremendous chance if he can finish the race effectively.

“I’ve polled quite a few races like this in the ’26 cycle and Lindsey Graham is one of the weakest incumbents I’ve seen,” Mitchell said. “Despite the name ID advantage, Mark Lynch takes a clear lead on the informed ballot. This is a huge opportunity.”

Lynch holds a significant advantage over Paul Dans, another rival in the race, due to his considerable personal wealth that he can invest in his campaign. Having already spent over a million dollars to reach his current position, sources close to him indicate that he plans to allocate at least an additional $3.5 million in the next couple of months leading up to the primary.

If his strategy unfolds as anticipated and the polling data from Rasmussen Reports is somewhat accurate, Lynch may have a viable opportunity to shift the momentum and transform the actual ballot into an informed one.

Sources in South Carolina have informed Breitbart News that Graham is taking Lynch’s candidacy seriously and has initiated a barrage of last minute television attack ads against Lynch heading up to the June 9 primary.

Reader’s note: Mark Lynch advertises with MyrtleBeachSC News. This in no way influences our reporting. This article first appeared in Breitbart News.