Republicans in South Carolina will head to the polls Tuesday to select a nominee for the United States Senate seat left vacant by the death of Senator Lindsey Graham. The special primary comes less than five weeks after Graham died unexpectedly on July 11 from cardiovascular disease, ending a 23-year tenure in the chamber.
Graham, known as one of the Senate’s most hawkish voices and a longtime ally of President Donald Trump, had won the state’s regular Republican primary on June 9. His death triggered a mandatory special election under South Carolina law, which requires a new contest when a primary winner vacates the race. Candidates were allowed to file during a one-week window opening on the second Tuesday after the vacancy occurred.
Ten Republicans are now competing. The field includes Darline Graham, the late senator’s sister, who was appointed by Governor Henry McMaster on July 13 to serve the remainder of her brother’s term through January. She is the first woman to represent South Carolina in the Senate. Before her appointment, she worked as a public administrator and was raised by her brother after their parents died.
Other candidates include businessman Mark Lynch, who placed second in the June primary; U.S. Representatives Russell Fry and Ralph Norman; former Governor Mark Sanford; lawyer Duke Buckner; biomedical engineer Samuel Shepherd; former Myrtle Beach Mayor Mark McBride; retired Air Force officer Glenda Gail Parker; and farmer Danny Lee Ford II.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern time.
A recent Quantus Insights poll showed Darline Graham leading with 30.4 percent support. Norman followed at 17.5 percent, Fry at 16.6 percent, and Sanford at 15.4 percent. President Trump’s endorsement of Darline Graham is seen as a significant factor in her early advantage, though her lack of legislative experience could pose challenges in a general election.
The winner will face Democratic nominee Annie Andrews, a pediatrician who has built a strong fundraising operation. Andrews has criticized Republican leadership over a measles outbreak that began in October 2025, linking it to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s vaccine skepticism. She has positioned herself as a generational change candidate, emphasizing her background as a doctor and mother.
South Carolina remains a Republican-leaning state, and the GOP is still favored to retain the seat in November. However, strategists on both sides acknowledge that the unexpected vacancy and the compressed timeline have introduced uncertainty into what was expected to be a routine re-election campaign. The outcome of Tuesday’s primary will test whether the Graham family’s political legacy and presidential backing can overcome a crowded field of established officeholders.
