EDITORS NOTE: Since the publication of this article, President Donald Trump endorsed the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s sister in a statement on Truth Social. He wrote, “I recommended, to Governor Henry McMaster, Lindsey Graham’s wonderful sister, Darline, to serve as interim Senator from the Great State of South Carolina. This would be a fabulous tribute to Lindsey, who loved her dearly!
President Donald Trump already has a Republican in mind to succeed the late Sen. Lindsey Graham in South Carolina. He’s not telling anyone who it is.
“I have somebody that I think would be great,” Trump said Sunday. “But I don’t want to say it now because it’s just, it’s too soon with Lindsey. I don’t wanna even talk about anybody, but I do have somebody that I think is really good.”
The scramble to replace the most powerful senator in South Carolina’s modern history has already begun.
Graham died suddenly Saturday evening of heart failure at his Capitol Hill home. He had just returned from meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv the day before. He was seeking a fifth Senate term and had earily won the Republican primary just a month ago.
South Carolina law now kicks in fast. Gov. Henry McMaster, a close Trump ally the president called “a great governor” Sunday, said “he’s going to do the right thing” and appoint a temporary replacement to serve the remainder of Graham’s term through January 2027.
After that, a special Republican primary filing period opens July 21 and closes July 28. The primary is August 11, with a possible runoff August 25. The winner faces Democrat Annie Andrews in the November 3 general election for the full six-year seat.
The field is already crowded and moving fast.
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) was the first to go public, telling Fox News Sunday she would “be an idiot” not to explore a run. She posted an image from “The Godfather” with the quote, “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in” on social media within hours of Graham’s death becoming public. Critics noted she placed dead last among the major candidates in last month’s governor’s race with just 12% of the vote.
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), 73, has formally enter the race and is believed by multiple outlets to be the name Trump is considering. Norman also ran for governor, finishing third, and endorsed the runoff winner afterward.
Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, who led the governor’s primary field before losing the runoff to State Attorney General Alan Wilson, is receiving “tons of encouragement from all across the state and from around the country” to run for the Senate seat, according to Fox News.
South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott is pushing a different approach entirely. According to reports, Scott is urging McMaster to appoint a short-term caretaker and let the special primary play out naturally. Scott has floated a number of names, including former Rep. Trey Gowdy, former Sen. Jim DeMint, and even Darlene Graham Nordone, Graham’s younger sister that he adopted and raised after both parents died when he was 21.
One Republican who has already taken himself out of the the conservation is Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.).
“I was grateful to speak with President Trump today reminiscing about our mutual friend, Senator Lindsey Graham,” Wilson posted on social media. “I assured him my goal is to remain in the House to keep his two-vote majority for the American people!!!”
South Carolina hasn’t elected a Democratic senator since 1998.