More Than Medicine
More Than Medicine
MTM- Nordone versus Norman : The Nitty Gritty
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
A Senate primary can feel like a popularity contest, until you start asking the only question that matters: what has a candidate actually done when the cameras are off? Dr. Robert Jackson is joined by his daughter and co-host Hannah Miller for a direct, values-first look at the South Carolina primary featuring Darlene Graham Nordone and Ralph Norman, with a special focus on voting records, pro-life policy, and fiscal conservative priorities.
We talk through why endorsements, headlines, and “business leader” branding do not equal proof. With Nordone, we wrestle with the reality of evaluating a candidate without a public legislative record, and we dig into what her network of support might signal about how she would govern in Washington, DC. We also lay out why we believe staffer-driven politics and an unelected bureaucracy can keep the same machine running even when the face on the ballot changes.
Then we shift to Ralph Norman’s documented record: conservative index scores, a 100% pro-life voting history, and repeated fights over spending, green energy subsidies, election integrity, medical freedom, and transparency in government. We also tackle the “do-nothing” label head-on and make the case that constitutional, framer-intended obstruction can be a feature, not a flaw, when limited government is the goal.
Early voting runs August 19th through the 21st, and the primary is Tuesday, August 25th. If you care about how your senator will vote, not just what they will say, listen, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more South Carolinians can join the conversation.
https://www.jacksonfamilyministry.com
https://bobslone.com/home/podcast-production/
Welcome And Why This Race Matters
SPEAKER_01More than enough. Where Jesus is more than enough for the plate of our culture. Hosted by April Physician, Dr. Robert Jackson. And his wife Carlotta and daughter Annabella. So listen up because the doctor is welcome to More Than Medicine.
SPEAKER_02I'm your host, Dr. Robert Jackson, bringing to you biblical insights and stories from the country doctor's Rusty Dusty scrapbook. I'm honored once again this week to have with me my lovely daughter, Miss Hannah Miller, who's going to co-host today's conversation. So, Miss Hannah, welcome to More Than Medicine.
SPEAKER_04Dad, always a pleasure. Thanks so much for having me. I'm looking forward to it. It's been a little while since we've dabbled in political stuff, I feel like.
SPEAKER_02It has been. It has been. So today's conversation is about the upcoming primary election between Ralph Norman and Darlene Graham Nordon. So let's just jump right in and let's have a little conversation about what's going to happen in about a week from now.
SPEAKER_04So how we're going to talk about this conversation. We're going to talk about what we know about Darlene, and then we're going to talk about what we know about Ralph Norman, and then we'll make some kind of other comments there at the end of the tail end of that. So we're going to talk about both candidates and their history, their background that we know in tonight's conversation, right? So who do you want to start
Nordone Without A Public Record
SPEAKER_04off with?
SPEAKER_02Well, let's talk about Miss Nordone first.
SPEAKER_04Okay.
SPEAKER_02And uh first of all, my my observation is that Miss Nordone does not have a voting record. And it's hard for me to make an assessment about her when I don't really have a voting record. We know her by her endorsements.
SPEAKER_04Which have been what?
SPEAKER_02Well, Donald Trump endorsed her. And I have a lot of allegiance to Donald Trump. And I know that he has allegiance to Lindsay Graham. Um, but you know, just because uh Donald Trump uh provides an endorsement for her, uh all those all us folks in South Carolina, that does not necessarily translate into a vote.
SPEAKER_04He also said that he put out a tweet that he liked Ralph Norman too. Yeah. So he has said, you know, he's kind of played both sides. Now he has h more heavily endorsed uh Nordean. Nor don't Darlene, sorry. Uh but but he has said he's like so yeah, he's kind of trying to probably hedge his bets there a little bit. Um but yeah, he you know, he got Donald Trump's endorsement. He's gotten a lot of what quote unquote political heavy hitters here in South Carolina have also endorsed her. Uh but I think that all of them have been folks that have been suspected and are known to be uh rhinos, what we'd call rhinos.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, they're the establishment Republicans in South Carolina, and I I'll be honest, I tend to go the opposite direction from the establishment Republicans in this state. Uh I consider myself to be um uh a fiscal conservative and a social conservative, and the establishment Republicans in this state tend to be um fiscal conservatives but not social conservatives. Um now I also noticed that the New York Times endorsed her. Lisa Murkowski from Alaska uh endorsed her and gave her ten thousand dollars. And then like I said, well, like we said, the establishment Republicans in this state have endorsed her, and the but that doesn't tell us how she's gonna vote.
SPEAKER_04Right. And though about one of the only things that we do know about her politically is that she has given money to was it Katrina Sheeley? Katrina Sheeley. And that's uh one of what we call what is what it what was her nickname? Um she's one of the senator sisters or something.
SPEAKER_02Anyway, sister senators, and they were all pro-abortion, yes, they were all pro-and they bragged about being pro-abortion, right? And and and in fact, one of the things we do know about uh Darlene Graham Nordone is that she contributed money to Katrina Sheeley, and that's one of the only political things that we know about her. We don't know, I mean, she never made a post, a podcast, or any kind of public statement politically, except that we know that she gave money to Katrina Sheeley, whom she says that she never knew.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, so she said she she said, I know her, but I've never been to her house. Seems like a nice lady. That was her exact words. I've never been to her house. But then on July 17th of this year, in an interview, Katrina Sheeley said that they get together and drink wine and sit on her back porch and talk about her donkeys on frequent occasion. So one of them is a liar. Likely both of them are liars considering what we know about them. But in that instance, in that instance, one of them is lying about their relationship with the other, and likely Darlene, because it's it's become evident that this is a problematic relationship for her in this campaign.
SPEAKER_02Well, as you know, the pro-life issue is the paramount issue for me, always has been. And it's a litmus test for me if a candidate votes pro-choice or contributes financially to pro-choice personalities, that's a no vote for me. And and when I found out that Nordone had been contributing financially to Katrina Sheeley, one of the sister senators, who was a rabid pro-choice personality, I immediately said to myself, can't vote for her, can't vote for her, will not support her. So I wrote her off my list immediately. Now, and the other thing is this is if she does nothing but follow in her brother's footsteps, that's enough for me not to vote for her because Lindsay had a 40% conservative in-text voting record throughout the totality of his career, which to me is like being a Democrat.
SPEAKER_04Right.
SPEAKER_02Lindsay was a Democrat, and that was his voting record. He was a Republican with a Democrat voting record. And if she does nothing but follow in her brother's footsteps, that's enough for me to cast a no vote for her.
SPEAKER_04Well, and
Placeholders And The DC Machine
SPEAKER_04and I'm gonna let I'm gonna let folks know, you know, get let them in on a little secret here, especially when it comes to those in D.C., those who are in office in DC. Why do you think that Mitch McConnell is still out there operating, even though we haven't seen him in months? Why do you think they keep rolling, you know, Diane Feinstein out there in her wheelchair? Because there's an underlying behind the scenes bureaucracy, unelected bureaucrats, staffers who are running the show. That's right. They are running the show for all these folks. And the people that were that were gray Lindsey Graham's his machines, they are in place, and all they need is a face, is a place.
SPEAKER_02They need a placeholder.
SPEAKER_04They need a placeholder to be in there. And and no offense to Donald Trump. Look, Lindsey Graham rubber stamped everything that Donald Trump wanted, which is why Donald Trump liked him. He was a yes man, okay? But you and I know that we want better than just yes men in office because not every president, not they don't always get it right, and we want somebody who's a thinker, somebody who's gonna hold to the kit to the Constitution, who's a conservative thinker and politician, and we don't just want another yes man in that position. And that's what all of those staffers, that's all they're looking for. They just want somebody who can be a placeholder and they will just keep that train running right along the way that it already has been. And how long have we been bemoaning Lindsey Graham being our senator here in South Carolina? And how purple, really how blue, because you're right, with a 40% voter voting record as a conservative, that means he's a Democrat. And for we are a Ruby Red state. We should not have a Democrat senator representing us here in the upstate of South Carolina, South Carolina in Washington, D.C. And that is exactly what Darlene, and that's why everybody wants her, is because she'll get up there and she'll just be a placeholder, and that machine will be able to just keep chug, chug, chugging right along. And everybody knows if she does not get that position, if it's a Ralph Norman election, that train comes to a screen.
SPEAKER_02Screaching halt. You better believe it.
SPEAKER_04We're not talking about Ralph yet.
SPEAKER_02That's right.
SPEAKER_04But that's the that's the reality, and that's the problem with what's happening in in DC right now with these politicians who people are like, how do they keep why do they keep going to office? Why do they keep trying to get elected? Who's they're not running the show, guys? The unelected, you and I are represented, we are controlled by unelected bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. that you don't even know the name of. And that's very problematic.
SPEAKER_02So let me ask you this What constitutional fight has Darlene Graham Nordone ever led? What spending did she ever oppose? What government expansion did she challenge? What political price did she ever pay for conservative principles? And these aren't personal attacks. These are exactly the questions we should ask anyone seeking one of the most powerful offices in America. Campaign websites tell us what politicians want us to believe. Records tell us what they believed when nobody else was asking for our vote.
SPEAKER_04Well, the other thing we know about her is that some of the businesses that she has run, because a lot of people are touting that. Oh, she's a businesswoman, she knows how to, you know, she's not well, one of them is very heavily DEI. Yeah. And then the other, in the seven years that she's been uh kind of ahead leadership of it, has the budget has doubled in the last seven years. A big part of that being her pay has doubled while she's been uh on staff with that organization. And so it's just there, it's not a good look for those of us who are fiscal conservatives and those of us who are social conservatives, um, because those are things that she's obviously uh, you know, been a part of and are problematic. And then uh we I did want to mention that there's a debate happening, but we have because of conflicts with our schedules and our producers' schedules, we had to record this podcast before the debate that happened this week. So we don't have sorry out, we don't have commentary on that because it's not you know, it's not happened. So I yeah, so that I should have said that at the beginning of the podcast, but I meant to.
SPEAKER_02All right, we're gonna run out of time if we don't switch over and talk about Ralph.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, sure. I was trying to make sure I've I've I'm thinking I remember everything that I want to say about Darlene. Oh, the other thing with Chris Larson.
Democrat Money And Green Energy Clues
SPEAKER_04We didn't mention Chris Larson. Ah, yes, yeah. We can't remember we can't forget that. So that's a uh he's a guy, he's a Democrat donor who sends to a lot of uh Democrat candidates and and that kind of thing. Uh he spent 11 million to elect Kamala Harris, is that right? Yep. Um, and in 2024, and his pack, which is Invest in Tomorrow Coalition, has announced that they're spending a million dollars to defeat Norman and elect Graham. Why in the world is a Democrat pack donor sending money? What does that tell you? What does that tell you when a Democrat is spending that kind of money to defeat Ralph Norman and get Nor what's her Darlene in office?
SPEAKER_02That's right. This tells you how much they despise and hate Ralph Norman. Exactly right.
SPEAKER_04And it tells you what kind of candidate they believe she's gonna be. That that that tells you exactly what kind of candidate and the way that she's gonna vote that they believe about her.
SPEAKER_02Well the reason is is because Ralph Norman opposed money that was added to the Save America Act that was directly uh money that was directly intended to go to uh green energy and all that stuff. And that's what the what's the name of that pack?
SPEAKER_04Oh, Invest in Tomorrow was that what it was.
SPEAKER_02Invest in tomorrow is a big green energy pack. And when he opposed all that and got that money taken out, they immediately decided that Ralph Norman had to go. And so they are now giving a million dollars to Darlene to get him out of office. Yeah, and so there you see, and of course, uh those of us who uh are are opposed to all that green energy stuff, we love Ralph Norman. We appreciate the fact that he voted to get all that stuff out of the Save America Act, didn't need to be there, it wasn't even a part of it. Right, and so uh we appreciate Ralph being willing to obstruct and stand in the way of unnecessary spending. So there you go. Now
Ralph Norman’s Track Record And Allies
SPEAKER_02let's let's talk about Ralph and what he stood for over time. Uh first of all, he he almost always supported Trump's agenda. He has more than 90 percent conservative index voting. And he hobnobs with the most conservative senators that are in the Senate, like Mike Lee and Rick Scott and Senator Massey from Kentucky before he was voted out. And these are the type of men that he associates with, and that tells you what kind of senator he will be. The most conservative senators of all are his close associates. And more than that, a man is known by his enemies, and the establishment Republicans in South Carolina are all lined up against him. And like I told you, I almost always try to vote the opposite way of the conservative the uh establishment Republicans in this state. And if they're lined up against Ralph Norman, then I guarantee you I'm gonna vote for Ralph Norman. And he has a 100% pro-life voting record. And I told you that was my litmus test. And when Ralph Norman stands up to vote and he has a hundred percent pro-life voting record, I guarantee you I'm gonna send him my money, I'm gonna give him my endorsement, and I'm gonna vote for him, and I'm gonna take 10 people to the polls to vote for him when I go to vote. Yeah, he's my man.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, the pro-life organizations of South Carolina, um, Personhood South Carolina, Eagle Protection South Carolina, those have all endorsed Ralph Norman. You've also seen, uh I think it's been um, oh, what's the student one? Student right to life. Is that what it's called?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, students for life.
SPEAKER_04Student Students for Life, uh, also endorsed Ralph Norman. A lot of these organizations, uh, they I they know you know, you just they know. Um, so so not only do you have kind of, as dad said, let me let me give you some of the details too. Um, Ralph Norman wrote and filed the original Save America Act back in 2020. So before everybody was talking about it, before it is where it is today, Ralph Norman was the trailblazer for the original Save America Act back then. He got a lot of hate for that. That was in the wake of the 2020 election shenanigans, and he received attacks from both sides of the aisle from everybody for that. But he read the writing on the wall. He was ahead of the curve. He was ahead of the curve. He said, Yep, we got a problem here. Uh no matter what scale that you believe there's a problem, there is a problem. We got to deal with it. Uh, and then that same year, he alone stood on the steps of the Capitol with the frontline doctors calling out the COVID abuses and misinformation of Fauci. And then again, he faced attacks from both sides of the aisle, everybody hating him, again, just being an absolute champion and trailblazer uh for medical freedom for medical freedom.
SPEAKER_02Medical freedom. He was one of my heroes way back then.
SPEAKER_04Yes. And then during the the one big beautiful bill debate, lobbyists snuck in millions to continue Biden's Green New Deal subsidies. This is what you were talking about earlier, and unrestricted Medicaid access, despite evidence of fraud and waste uncovered by Doge. And Ralph blocked that version of the bill and forced them to cut all of Biden's climate subsidies and add work requirements to for Medicaid. And the swamp just blasted him again, everybody hating on him again. And then meanwhile, Charlie Kirk lauded Ralph for his principled stand, saying that we must have real cuts. And he praised Ralph for what he was doing. And then, lest people forget, and I had this was on me, I had forgotten this. And this is something that shifted, has shifted politics in South Carolina for the better. And that was that when he was a state representative, he and a small group of conservatives forced the legislature to adopt a public voting board so voters could see in bright red and green how their elected officials voted. Because that was one of the things nobody you it was very difficult to find out how people vote.
SPEAKER_02You never knew how our state legislators voted.
SPEAKER_04You never knew how they voted. It was very difficult to find the information, and now they're required to put it up on this big light-up board, and it makes the Republican rhinos and and the Democrats so mad every year in South Carolina when our Freedom Caucus members and our actual genuine conservative representatives and senators post pictures of that board and tell people and reveal how these folks are voting. And you see it in red and green right there. And I had forgotten that that was the work of Ralph Norman and a group of other folks that I had forgotten that he was a part of that. And uh, and that's on me because I like I said, that was one transparency reform that has single-handedly changed South Carolina politics and has begun to help and began to help or it helped begin the move further rightward for South Carolina voters. And so I just I just want you to understand that all of the things that dad's talked about and that we're talking about, not only has he supported these things, but he's been a trailblazer, he's been on the front lines, and so a lot of folks are lobbing at him that he's just a do-nothing guy.
SPEAKER_03That's right.
SPEAKER_04And on the one hand, I find that hysterical because obviously, because of everything we just said, he's not a do-nothing guy.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, that's right.
SPEAKER_04But then on the other hand, there's an aspect of why they're saying that that I want to talk about. And I don't know if we have time if we can dive into that conversation yet.
SPEAKER_02Four or five minutes.
SPEAKER_04Okay, is there anything else you wanted to say about Norman before we before I got into that?
SPEAKER_02Well, I I let me say that and then we'll go into the yeah, you know, I can evaluate Ralph Norman based upon his actual record rather than where he obeyed than whether he obeyed the Republican Party often enough. He's been tested, his record exists. We can examine it, criticize it, defend it, and hold him accountable for it. With Darlene Graham Nordon, South Carolina, is largely being asked to take a six-year leap of faith. And I'm I'm just one of those people. I'm not willing to take that leap of faith. I think we should vote for Ralph Norman because he has a proven Ralph uh uh voting record that we can all verify. And he's been endorsed by the National Rifle Association, he has a hundred percent pro-life voting record, he's uh approved by uh the veterans and the military, he has a 92% voting record on the Liberty Score, a 91.8% uh approval rating by Turning Point USA, uh 98% uh well I'm saying a hundred percent rating for the heritage action, and it's just on and on and on positive voting records, and I don't know why anybody would reject all of these positive voting records from somebody who has a known positive voting records just beyond me. Now go ahead, Miss Hannah.
The Case For “Constitutional Obstruction”
SPEAKER_04Well, one of the things that people lob against Ralph is that he's a do-nothing politician, that he hasn't done enough, which is, like I said, hysterical because of if you actually look at his record and you see how he's been such a trailblazer when it comes to election integrity, when it comes to medical freedom, when it comes to transparency in South Carolina regarding our our politicians' votes, all of those things, he has forged the way. Um, but a lot of them accuse him of being a do nothing politician. It's the same accusation that they lob at the Freedom Caucus members here. In South Carolina. Yeah. And they say they're just obstructionist. They, you know, they never, we just, and and the and the the thing is that people say is we need to get things done in Columbia. We need to get things done in Washington, D.C. We got to get things done, and they never get anything done. That's great news. That's good news.
SPEAKER_02You know why? Because every time they pass a law, it costs you and me more tax money.
SPEAKER_04That's right.
SPEAKER_02Everything a legit time a legislator does something, it costs you and me more tax money. If I was elected to office, my campaign would be vote for me because I'm not going to do anything for you. Because if I do something for you, it's going to cost you more tax money.
SPEAKER_04Well, I have a fro uh a friend on Facebook, his name is Bob Minguez, and he had a write-up today, and I want I want to quote him because he said Ralph Norman simply attempts to put the Constitution and limited government over the ever-growing need to quote do more, end quote. He's had the audacity on many occasions to push back at legislation that clearly exceeds federal authority under the Constitution. For that, he gets accused of being a no vote. As if a constant go-along, get along, yes vote is some sort of badge of honor. I can tell you the framers would hold such a view in utter contempt today.
SPEAKER_03Amen.
SPEAKER_04For many of the people who oppose Ralph Norman and who say would say this about him, that he needs to do more and he's just a no vote. It's truly something they really don't understand. They have been ingrained for so long that creating more and more and more statutory law is a good thing. They think it means they are doing their job correctly. And they're dead wrong.
SPEAKER_02Dead wrong.
SPEAKER_04Dead wrong. That is not what limited government is about. The the very idea that our representatives, that our senators are gonna go to Columbia and go to Washington, D.C. And every single year they're just passing more and more and one right after the other bill, that really should be atrocious to us. Because as you said, every time they pass a bill, they're spending more and more in our of our dollars. And we should want a guy who's gonna go up there and obstruct some of this.
SPEAKER_02Absolutely no.
SPEAKER_04And so that's what one of my my that's what my friend, he's Bob, he said. He said, guess what? Obstructionism is an intended action in a system designed to restrain government. And he has a term for it. He calls it constitutional framer intended obstruction.
SPEAKER_03Good for him.
SPEAKER_04And he said it's it's what that's what he calls it. And it's it's to limit government growth outside of constitutional outside of constitutional constitutional limitation. It said that's the whole purpose of this. And again, constitutional framer intended obstruction. And that's right. And these Republicans who just get so frustrated and they think we we you're just a no vote, you're do nothing. That's great news. That's the guy, that's the person of man. That's the kind of person that we what's the why do we think it's a good thing for somebody to just be a go-along, get along, yes voter?
SPEAKER_02That's right.
SPEAKER_04That's crazy.
SPEAKER_02That's right. That is crazy. Well, Ralph Norman is that kind of guy, and that's why I'm gonna vote for him. And when
Voting Dates And Final Push
SPEAKER_02do we go to vote?
SPEAKER_04Tuesday. Well, uh the 25th, August 25th.
SPEAKER_02All right. Uh early voting is the 19th through the 21st, and the primary is Tuesday, August the 25th. That's election day. And I encourage you to go vote, take all your friends, call all your family, and encourage them to go vote that day. My encouragement for you is to vote for Ralph Norman. He's my pick, he's my favorite, and I think he's gonna be the man for the job.
SPEAKER_04That's right. Me too. I'm right there with you, Dad.
SPEAKER_02You're listening to More Than Medicine. I'm your host, Dr. Robert Jackson. My guest today is my lovely daughter, Miss Hannah Miller, and I hope you'll be back with us next week. Till then, remember your doctor loves you, Jesus loves you, and until next week, may the Lord bless you real good.
SPEAKER_00Thank you for listening to this edition of More Than Medicine. For more information about the Jackson Family Ministry or to schedule a speaking engagement, go to their Facebook page, Instagram, or website at Jackson Family Medistry dot com. Don't forget to go.
Podcasts we love
Check out these other fine podcasts recommended by us, not an algorithm.