COLUMBIA, S.C. — Sen. Darline Graham announced Monday that she intends to run for a full term in the Senate seat she was appointed to fill after the death of her brother, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham.
“I’ve made a decision,” Darline Graham told Fox News Channel host Sean Hannity in a clip released ahead of an interview scheduled to air later Monday. “I’m in.”
Darline Graham was sworn in just last week to complete the remaining months of her late brother’s term, which runs through January. Her decision to enter the Republican race for the seat adds another layer of complexity to an already fast-moving process following Lindsey Graham’s death earlier this month.
A one-week filing window opens Tuesday for the special Republican primary, which is set for August 11. President Donald Trump threw his support behind Darline Graham on Friday, announcing she had his “Complete and Total Endorsement” and urging her to run with the words, “RUN, DARLINE, RUN!”
Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Darline Graham last week to serve out the remainder of her brother’s term. McMaster made no mention of the appointment being temporary or symbolic in nature, though a source familiar with his thinking — who was not authorized to speak on the record — said the governor had not anticipated that she would choose to run for the seat herself.
Before Darline Graham entered the picture — and before her Oval Office visit following her swearing-in — Trump had previously floated the idea of backing Rep. Russell Fry, who confirmed Monday he would formally enter the special primary. Rep. Ralph Norman and several other prominent Republican figures have already jumped into the race, while Rep. Nancy Mace and Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette have been weighing whether to run.
Darline Graham told Hannity she had spent considerable time in prayer as she figured out how to handle her new role.
“It is a tremendous amount of pressure,” she said.
“I know I’m a hard worker. I learned that from Lindsey,” she added. “I feel like I can do it. I feel an inner peace about it. Will it be difficult? Yes.”
Funeral services for Lindsey Graham are planned for next week in both Washington and South Carolina. A preliminary medical examiner’s report indicated he died from a tear in his aorta.
The large sum of money sitting in Lindsey Graham’s campaign account is not something Darline Graham could simply tap into for her own race, according to Bradley A. Smith, a former chairman of the Federal Election Commission. Federal rules cap the amount Lindsey Graham’s campaign could transfer directly to a Darline Graham candidacy at just $2,000. However, Smith noted there is no ceiling on how much the campaign could transfer to the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which — following a recent Supreme Court ruling — could “spend an unlimited amount in coordination with Darline’s campaign.”
