WASHINGTON (AP) — The race to replace the late Sen. Lindsey Graham on the November ballot is nearly finalized, with at least 10 Republicans having submitted their paperwork ahead of a two-week rush toward the August 11 special GOP primary.
Graham’s unexpected passing earlier this month at age 71 has set off a compressed and chaotic scramble that would otherwise have been a straightforward path to a fifth Senate term for the longtime South Carolina senator. He had already won his June primary without a runoff, and no Democrat has claimed a statewide office in South Carolina in roughly 20 years.
The filing period for the special election closed Tuesday — the same day as the first of two scheduled funerals held in Washington and Graham’s home state. The unusually open Senate seat has attracted top-tier Republicans, lesser-known hopefuls, familiar political faces, and even Graham’s own sister. Should no candidate capture a majority of votes, a runoff election is set for August 25.
Darline Graham spent years as her older brother’s close political confidant, appearing in his campaign ads, standing beside him at rallies, and playing a central role in his personal story — including being adopted by him after the deaths of their parents. Hours after her brother’s death, she was selected by Republican Gov. Henry McMaster to serve as his Senate appointee through January, filling the remainder of his current term. She has since entered the race for the nomination to hold the seat on a more permanent basis.
While Darline Graham was a fixture in her brother’s political world, she remains largely unknown to South Carolina voters as a candidate in her own right. Questions have circulated within the state’s Republican circles about whether sympathy for her brother’s legacy is enough to carry her to a Senate victory. For now, she is surrounded by her late brother’s official and campaign staff and has the backing of President Donald Trump — a close congressional ally of Lindsey Graham — who endorsed her even before she publicly announced her candidacy.
Meanwhile, a person familiar with Gov. McMaster’s thinking, but not authorized to speak on the record, said that when McMaster appointed Darline Graham, he had not anticipated she would seek the seat herself. McMaster made no public reference to her role as a placeholder or symbolic stand-in.
U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, fresh off an unsuccessful primary bid for governor, has also jumped into the Senate contest and quickly secured endorsements from fellow House members — including Rep. Nancy Mace — as well as law enforcement officials statewide. Considered one of the most conservative members of the House, Norman is a well-recognized figure across South Carolina.
Before Darline Graham emerged as a candidate — and before her Oval Office meeting with Trump following her swearing-in — the president had previously floated the idea of backing Rep. Russell Fry for the seat. Fry formally entered the special primary shortly thereafter. Widely known in his strongly pro-Trump district around the Myrtle Beach area, Fry is working to expand his name recognition across the broader state while positioning himself as a strong supporter of Trump’s agenda.
Also in the race is a former South Carolina congressman and governor whose political career was derailed by a 2009 affair. That candidate’s Senate bid comes just three months after he abandoned a campaign to reclaim his old U.S. House seat, citing plans to launch a nonprofit focused on the national debt — his defining policy issue. He had entered that earlier race on the final day of filing, joining a field already packed with candidates who had been campaigning for months.
Mark Lynch, a Greenville businessman who challenged Graham in last month’s regular Republican primary, quickly relaunched his campaign after Graham’s death and is expected to invest a significant amount of his own money into his Senate run.
Additional candidates in the field include:
— Duke Buckner, a Walterboro attorney and perennial candidate who has previously run against South Carolina’s only Democratic member of Congress, U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn. Buckner is also a former public school English teacher.
— Mark McBride, the former mayor of Myrtle Beach, who has previously sought federal office without success, including a 2004 Senate primary defeat to former Republican Sen. Jim DeMint. McBride also lost to Fry in the 2022 GOP primary for the 7th Congressional District.
— Darius Mitchell, a Columbia resident who describes himself as a “Hip Hop Republican” and has posted on social media in support of reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
— Clark Neilson, a Charlotte, North Carolina businessman who says he plans to build a home on land he already owns in Charleston County and is in the process of establishing South Carolina residency.
— Sam Shepherd, a biomedical engineer and entrepreneur from Lexington County who says his campaign is centered on cutting taxes and reducing federal spending.
On the Democratic side, Charleston physician Dr. Annie Andrews won her party’s primary in June. Having built her entire campaign around the prospect of facing Graham, she will soon learn who her new general election opponent will be.
