With Graham Dead, Races Are On For Both Temporary And Permanent Senate Successors

While plenty of jaws are still agape following Saturday night's shockingly sudden death of Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, scheming over his vacant seat is already well underway. With Graham having been a chief champion of the West's proxy war against Russia in Ukraine, and a zealous collaborator with Israel in promoting American warfare against Iran, it's not just South Carolinians who are concerned about their representation in Washington.  

There are two separate tracks in this succession drama. First, under South Carolina law, Republican South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster must appoint someone to represent the state for the balance of Graham's fifth term, which runs through January 3.

As you watch the scramble for U.S. Senate in South Carolina...

Lindsey Graham was sworn on January 3, 2003, succeeding Strom Thurmond.

Thurmond took that seat on November 7, 1956.

That's only two Senators in nearly 70 years.

— Jamie Dupree (@jamiedupree) July 13, 2026

Separately, South Carolina Republicans must choose a new nominee for November's general election. Candidates can officially file starting July 21, with the window shutting on July 28. Then, a special primary election will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 11. If no candidate scores not just a plurality but a majority of the votes, the top two vote-getters would advance to a runoff election on Aug. 25. Before Graham's death, the Cook Political Report rated the Palmetto State "safe" for continued GOP control. It's doubtful that status will change no matter whom Republicans pick to go up against Democrat pediatrician Annie Andrews in November. In his 2020 re-election, Graham coasted to a 10-point win over his Democratic opponent.   

McMaster doesn't have a firm deadline for naming a temporary replacement, but choosing someone quickly gives him a potent opportunity to give someone a leg up in the primary race for the term that starts in January. As an alternative, he could go in the opposite direction and appoint a "caretaker" who has no ambition to hold the seat after the end of the year. McMaster, who is term-limited and will stop being governor in January, could conceivably appoint himself the interim senator, which would have Lt Gov Pamela Evette ascend to the governor's desk.  

With Graham's body still cooling, the man he trounced in the June primary -- businessman Mark Lynch -- wasted no time in announcing he will be a candidate in the special primary. On Sunday evening, Lynch committed $5 million to "finish the race we started." Amusingly, earlier in the day, Lynch had said, "today is not a day for politics." 

President Trump, whose endorsement is still powerful within the GOP despite his own crumbling popularity, declined on Sunday to tell NBC News whom he prefers for the seat. “I have somebody that I think would be great, but I don’t want to say it now because it’s just, you know, it’s too soon with Lindsey," Trump said. "I don’t want to even talk about anybody, but I do have somebody that I think is really good.”

“Just when I thought I was out… they pull me back in…” pic.twitter.com/1AzRMPAEuc

— Nancy Mace (@NancyMace) July 12, 2026

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Zelensky are certainly among those most sorry to learn that Graham suddenly died. Graham was easily one of the most hawkish figures in Washington, and was constantly working with both foreign leaders to help keep US money and weapons flowing in their direction. In that light, they may have hoped that former South Carolina governor and former UN ambassador Nikki Haley would pursue the seat. However, a spokesman told Politico's Alec Hernandez that Haley "has no plans to run for office at this time."

Other potential opponents for Lynch include: 

• Rep. Nancy Mace. She's poised to hand over her House seat in January, having foregone reelection for a failed bid for governor this year. She is actively considering a run for Graham's seat, according to Politico and The New York Times. Their reporting is reinforced by Mace's posting of a clip from Godfather III, in which Michael Corleone says the classic line, "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in."

• Rep. Russell Fry. The 41-year-old Trump ally currently represents South Carolina's solidly-Republican 7th Congressional District. In un-Lindsey Graham fashion, Fry was one of a few dozen Republicans who voted in 2023 to direct President Biden to pull troops out of Syria within 180 days.  

• Rep. Ralph Norman. At 73 years old, the hard-right Norman is two years older than the dead Graham and would test America's growing fatigue with Congress being a gerontocracy. Norman reportedly called Trump on Sunday to discuss a potential endorsement. Trump was said to have replied, "Give me a week." Norman's expected to make some kind of announcement about his intentions on Tuesday, and South Carolina outlet FITS News says he's running. 

• Rep. Joe Wilson. Famed for yelling "you lie!" at President Obama during an address to Congress in 2009, Wilson's name has been circulating. However, on Sunday night he signaled that he wouldn't be running. "I was grateful to speak with President Trump today reminiscing about our mutual friend, Senator Lindsey Graham," Wilson tweeted. "I assured him my goal is to remain in the House to keep his two-vote majority for the American people!!!" 

• Lt Gov Pamela Evette. She tried for the governor nomination this year, but lost to Alan Wilson, son of firebrand Rep. Joe Wilson. In an odd move, Trump endorsed both of them for the GOP nomination. 

There could be a crowded field, which would elevate the chances that a runoff would be needed. Within about 30 hours of each other, America saw two Grahams exit their Senate races in a bad way -- Lindsey Graham via heart failure, and Maine Democratic hopeful Graham Platner via being on the wrong end of a sex-assault accusation. Between the South Carolina special primary election and Maine Democrats picking a new candidate at a rushed convention this month, the entertainment is stacking up for political junkies in the dog days of summer 2026.