Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) died Saturday evening from a “brief and sudden illness” at the age of 71. The longtime senator’s unexpected death triggered a massive scramble for his now-open seat among various Republican characters in the South Carolina political scene.
Here is how it will go: South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) appointed Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, to temporarily replace her brother in the Senate and serve out the rest of his current term. That term is set to end on Jan. 3, 2027 and the successor will be picked in the upcoming November election. There will be a special primary election — set for Aug. 11 with an Aug. 25 runoff, if needed — to determine the Republican candidate for the general election. The winner of the Republican primary will face Democratic candidate Annie Andrews in November for the general election. And the winner of the general election will serve a full six year term starting in January 2027.
Here are some names in the running:
The One Who Would Be a ‘Fabulous Tribute’
South Carolina Gov. McMaster tapped Graham’s sister, Graham Nordone, Monday afternoon to replace the longtime senator until his current term ends in Jan. 2027.
That appointment came just hours after Trump chimed in on Monday, saying he recommends that McMaster appoint the late senator’s sister to serve the remainder of his term.
“I recommended, to Governor Henry McMaster, Lindsey Graham’s wonderful sister, Darline, to serve as interim Senator from the Great State of South Carolina,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Monday morning. “This would be a fabulous tribute to Lindsey, who loved her dearly!”
Though unlikely, Graham Nordone could choose to run for the upcoming six year term as well — if she has political aspirations or perhaps as a tribute to her late brother.
The One Who Wanted to Declare ‘Marshall Law!!’
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) recently ran to be the Palmetto State’s governor. He lost the bid, finishing third in the gubernatorial primary last month. Now he is reportedly eyeing a new campaign for Graham’s Senate seat.
He is certainly one of the more problematic characters on the list.
As you may remember, in January 2021, just days before Joe Biden’s inauguration, Norman sent a text message to then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows urging Trump to invoke martial law (or as he misspelled it “Marshall Law”) and block the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory.
“Our LAST HOPE is invoking Marshall Law!! PLEASE URGE TO PRESIDENT TO DO SO!!” Norman wrote.
Norman said he spoke to Trump on Sunday and asked for his endorsement in the special primary. We’ll see who Trump will actually decide to get behind. According to Norman, he responded to the congressman’s request with “give me a week.”
The South Carolina congressman is expected to make an official announcement on his intentions on Tuesday.
The One Who Really Wanted to Police Bathrooms
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) is also eyeing Graham’s seat. She made a not-so-cryptic social media post Sunday morning, hinting at her new ambition to try and be a senator.
“Just when I thought I was out… they pull me back in…” pic.twitter.com/1AzRMPAEuc
— Nancy Mace (@NancyMace) July 12, 2026
Mace is reportedly planning to begin polling for her exploratory Senate bid this week, according to Politico.
Just like Norman, Mace also ran in the competitive South Carolina gubernatorial primary race. She finished the Republican primary in fifth place last month, garnering about 12% of the vote. She conveniently blamed her loss on the fact that she was one of the handful of House Republicans who signed the discharge petition to force a vote to release the Jeffrey Epstrein files.
In case you were wondering how effective she would be as a senator … Mace spent the majority of the end of 2024 focusing on trying to control who can use which bathrooms on Capitol Hill and throughout the nation.
She introduced a resolution to “ban transgender women from using biological women’s restrooms at the U.S. Capitol.” That was seemingly in response to Rep. Sarah McBride (D-DE), the first openly transgender person elected to Congress, winning her state’s sole House seat. A couple days later she introduced a bill to force trans individuals to use restrooms that align with the sex assigned to them at birth on any property that uses public funds.
Those efforts took a life of their own, as Mace incessantly posted about bathrooms for months. At one point she decided to take matters into her own hands (and, likely, to rile people up online) and made a handmade sign that said“BIOLOGICAL,” which she stuck on top of a women’s restroom sign at the Capitol building.
Priorities, priorities …
The One Who Already Has the Trump Stamp of Approval
Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette is seen as another top option to replace Graham. She has been working side-by-side with McMaster for the past several years and she is a key figure in deep-red, conservative South Carolina politics.
Evette is another who was running to be the governor of South Carolina. Despite having both Trump and McMaster’s endorsement, she lost the June 23 Republican primary runoff to State Attorney General Alan Wilson.
The lieutenant governor has been getting “tons of encouragement” to run for Graham’s seat, but hasn’t yet made up her mind, according to Politico.
The One Who Golfs With Trump
Former Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) appears to have been Sen. Tim Scott’s (R-SC) top choice — even if it was briefly. Gowdy served in the House from 2011 to 2019.
Scott reportedly pitched now-Fox News host Gowdy (just what we need, another Fox personality in the federal government) for the position. Politico reported Sunday that Scott made a round of calls pushing for Gowdy — who also is a known golf partner of Trump’s — as a possible short-term pick for the seat left vacant by Graham’s death.
Though, since Trump’s endorsement, Scott has reportedly shifted his focus to Graham’s sister.
It remains to be seen whether Gowdy will consider jumping into the race to replace Graham permanently.
Other Names That Have Been Floated
Mark Lynch, who challanged Graham during the 2026 Republican primary and lost, told a local ABC news affiliate that he plans to run again for the Senate seat he already lost once this year.
Rep. Russell Fry (R-SC) was hand picked by Trump several years ago to oust another South Carolina congressman, former Rep. Tom Rice (R-SC). Rice lost to Fry in 2022 and has had Trump’s support in the past. He could jump in the race.
Rep. William Timmons (R-SC) is also reportedly interested in running for Graham’s seat. The four-term congressman is not a household name like some of the others, but his experience in Congress could come in handy.
I’m certain South Carolina will pick a winner.
To be fair, Nancy Mace alone constitutes 78% of South Carolina’s kookery.
Ah, what stellar choices are arrayed before the South Carolina voters!
Leaving aside for a moment the immense harms caused by Graham and MAGA, I would say that it’s not uncommon for these kinds of vacancies to be filled by spouses of the deceased (see e.g., Doris Matsui and Robert Matsui). Since Graham’s closest relative seems to have been a sibling rather than a spouse, I can imagine the train of thought that led to her name being floated. (“Too bad Lindsey wasn’t married, we could just stick his wife on the ballot.” “Well, wait…”) I’ll log off before I learn how awful her politics are and/or how unqualified she is (comapred to, again, Doris Matsui). But there is a tradition here (one that I know the GOP would not honor if Graham’s spouse had been a man).