Graham's death sparks Republican race: Here are potential candidates

Erik Wasson and Caitlin Reilly, Bloomberg News on Jul 13, 2026

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The sudden death of South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham unleashed jockeying among leading Republicans in the Palmetto State to run for his seat for a full six-year term.

Republican Governor Henry McMaster is set to name a replacement on Monday to serve out the rest of Graham’s term through Jan. 3, 2027. That person will also have to decide whether to run in the Republican primary the state must hold by Aug. 11 to replace Graham on the ballot in November.

The open Senate seat, held by just two men for 70 years, will be favored to stay Republican. President Donald Trump recommended Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, to complete her brother’s term. If McMaster accedes to that request, Nordone would have a leg up in a GOP primary — if she even wants to run.

Whoever wins the GOP nomination will face Democrat Annie Andrews, a pediatrician who criticized Graham’s closeness to Trump and his history of supporting U.S. involvement in wars abroad.

Here are the potential GOP candidates aiming for Graham’s seat:

Darline Graham Nordone

The late senator legally adopted his younger sister Darline, following their parents’ deaths while Graham was in his early twenties and Nordone was in her teens. Nordone worked to help people with disabilities find jobs, according to a profile in the New York Times.

She introduced Graham ahead of his announced presidential run in 2015, recalling the role he played following their parents’ death. “He has never let me down,” she said of Graham at the time. She periodically joined him on the campaign trail, including at the Iowa state fair, and recently appeared in a campaign ad for Graham’s senate reelection.

Pamela Evette

The first female lieutenant governor of South Carolina, Evette ran in this year’s GOP primary to become governor and received an early endorsement from Trump. She won that first round but then lost badly in a runoff to South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson. Trump muddied the water ahead of that runoff when he pivoted to saying he liked both Evette and Wilson.

Evette, 58, ran her governor’s race on on an “America First” agenda with a heavy focus on deporting undocumented immigrants. Prior to public office, Evette founded Quality Business Solutions, a payroll and human resources services company.

Russell Fry

Fry, 41, a congressman who represents the region around Myrtle Beach, has been a stalwart supporter of Trump’s agenda since being elected to the U.S. House in 2022. Prior to coming to Congress, Fry served in the GOP leadership of the South Carolina Assembly as the chief vote counter.

Earlier in his career, Fry worked as an attorney. A campaign spokesperson for Fry didn’t respond to questions about whether he is interested in the seat.

Ralph Norman

A member of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus, Representative Ralph Norman is a close ally of Trump and said Sunday that he is mulling a run.

A former real estate developer, the 73-year-old Norman previously announced plans to retire from Congress in order to run for governor earlier this year. He fell short, taking 17% of the vote in the June primary compared to Evette’s 29%, and did not advance to the runoff.

As a far-right conservative, Norman has often acted a go-between for GOP leaders and members of the rebellious Freedom Caucus, who have frequently held up the Trump administration’s agenda to push for deeper spending cuts and a broader crackdown on immigration.

In the aftermath of Joe Biden’s victory in 2020, Norman said the election was stolen and called on Trump to seize voting machines. He came under scrutiny when media reports uncovered text messages to then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, sent in the aftermath of the 2020 election, calling on Trump to impose martial law.

Nancy Mace

A retiring House member, Mace would face an uphill battle for the GOP nomination but has hinted on social media that she may run.

Mace, 48, finished a distant fifth in this year’s GOP gubernatorial primary race with just 12% of the vote. She angered Trump and some of his supporters by pushing over the president’s objections to release files related disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The first female graduate of The Citadel military college, Mace came to prominence as the author of an autobiography and member of the South Carolina assembly.

Mark Lynch

Businessman Lynch ran against Graham in this year’s GOP primary and garnered 29% of the vote to Graham’s 57%. He announced on Sunday that he’s entering the race for the special primary election and plans to spend millions of his own funds to do so.

During the the earlier GOP primary, Lynch ran on an “America First” platform, faulting Graham for his support over the years for foreign aid and intervention. An ordained Baptist deacon, Lynch is president of retailer Jeff Lynch Appliance Center, which his father started in Greenville.

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