Republican Field Solidifies for South Carolina Special Senate Primary to Fill Graham’s Seat

The Republican primary race to fill the South Carolina Senate seat left vacant by Sen. Lindsey Graham’s death has taken shape, with at least 10 candidates submitting paperwork for the Aug. 11 special election. The compressed timeline gives contenders just two weeks to campaign before voters head to the polls, a stark contrast to what would have been Graham’s routine path to a fifth term following his June primary victory.

Graham, 71, died earlier this month, triggering an unprecedented rush to fill the seat in a state where no Democrat has won statewide office in two decades. The filing period closes Tuesday, coinciding with the first of two funerals scheduled across Washington and South Carolina. Should no candidate secure a majority, a runoff election is set for Aug. 25.

Darline Graham, the senator’s sister, was appointed by Republican Gov. Henry McMaster to serve the remainder of her brother’s current term through January. Now she is seeking the party’s nomination to continue in the role, despite being largely unknown to voters who repeatedly elected her brother. She received encouragement and an endorsement from President Donald Trump before publicly announcing her candidacy, though sources say McMaster never intended for her to run for the seat herself.

U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, fresh from an unsuccessful gubernatorial primary bid, has entered the race and accumulated endorsements from fellow House members, including Rep. Nancy Mace, along with law enforcement officials statewide. As one of the House’s most conservative members, Norman brings substantial name recognition across South Carolina.

U.S. Rep. Russell Fry, who operates from the strongly pro-Trump Myrtle Beach area, also entered the contest following Trump’s earlier suggestion of backing his candidacy. Fry is working to expand his statewide profile by emphasizing his alignment with Trump’s policy agenda.

Former Gov. Mark Sanford is attempting another political comeback, three months after abandoning a bid to reclaim his former House seat. Sanford has cited addressing the national debt as a central focus of his campaigns, a priority he has maintained throughout his political career.

The field also includes Mark Lynch, a Greenville businessman who challenged Graham in June’s primary and has quickly relaunched his campaign with plans to invest his own resources. Duke Buckner, a Walterboro attorney and perpetual candidate who has run against U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, rounds out the slate alongside Mark McBride, former Myrtle Beach mayor who lost a 2004 Senate primary to then-Republican Sen. Jim DeMint.

Other candidates include Darius Mitchell, a Columbia resident who identifies as a “Hip Hop Republican,” businessman Clark Neilson of Charlotte, North Carolina, who is relocating to South Carolina, and Sam Shepherd, a biomedical engineer from Lexington County focused on reducing taxes and federal spending.

The Democratic nominee, Dr. Annie Andrews, a Charleston physician, secured her party’s June primary victory. Andrews built her campaign strategy around challenging Graham but will now face an undetermined Republican opponent in the general election.