Darline Graham, sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, has advanced to a runoff election to replace her brother, who died unexpectedly on July 11. Governor Henry McMaster had appointed Graham to serve out the remainder of his term following his passing.
Graham, 62, is now seeking a full term and has received the endorsement of President Donald Trump. She faced a field of 10 candidates in Tuesday's primary, a race that attracted several prominent South Carolina Republicans. Among the contenders were two U.S. House members and Mark Sanford, the former governor and congressman. One other Republican will join Graham in the runoff election, scheduled for August 25. The winner will face Democrat Annie Andrews in the general election.
The primary election began even as funeral observances for Senator Graham were concluding. State law dictated a compressed timeline, requiring candidates to balance mourning the senator with campaigning for his seat. Some voters indicated that Senator Graham's reputation influenced their support for Darline Graham, with one constituent noting her familial connection to the senator. While Darline Graham could not directly access her late brother's campaign funds, a super PAC that previously supported Lindsey Graham has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in advertising for her campaign, highlighting her as "President Trump's choice" and "Prepared to Carry on Lindsey's Legacy."
Notable among the other candidates was U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, who entered the Senate contest after an unsuccessful bid for governor. Norman, known as a fiscal conservative, secured endorsements from Senators Rick Scott and Mike Lee. Another U.S. House member, Rep. Russell Fry, also ran, seeking to gain traction beyond his district. Former South Carolina congressman and governor Mark Sanford made another attempt at a political comeback, having previously ended a campaign for his former U.S. House seat to establish a nonprofit focused on the national debt. Mark Lynch, a Greenville businessman who had challenged Graham in a previous primary, also relaunched his campaign, though he had previously been criticized by President Trump.
On the Democratic side, Annie Andrews, a Charleston physician, won her party's primary outright. Her campaign, initially focused on challenging Senator Graham, has pivoted to a broader critique of the Republican candidates. No Democrat has won a U.S. Senate seat in South Carolina in decades. In 2020, Lindsey Graham defeated his Democratic opponent by a 10-percentage-point margin.