Early voting began Wednesday in the special South Carolina U.S. Senate Republican primary following the passing of former Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Nine candidates are campaigning for the seat in the primary, which will take place on Tuesday, August 11. The candidates are Duke Buckner, Danny Ford, Rep. Russell Fry, appointed Sen. Darline Graham Nordone, Mark Lynch, Mark McBride, Rep. Ralph Norman, Glenda Parker, former Rep. Mark Sanford, and Samuel Shepherd.
Under South Carolina election law, a runoff will be held on August 25 if no candidate receives greater than 50% of the vote.
President Donald Trump has endorsed Sen. Graham in the race, writing in July that Graham Nordone would “never” let the people of South Carolina down. Trump added that Graham Nordone shares her brother’s, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), “deep love of our Country” and of South Carolina.
Despite the endorsement, numerous candidates lined up for the opportunity to run for the seat.
Two sitting members of Congress — Fry and Norman — are campaigning for the seat and touting their conservative records.
Fry’s campaign announcement promoted him as a “conservative fighter” who would take on high gas prices and grocery costs. He is also continuing his reelection campaign in the 7th Congressional District.
Norman, who finished 3rd in the state’s gubernatorial primary election this year, was already set to leave Congress.
He has racked up endorsements from conservative senators Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rick Scott (R-FL) as well as retiring Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC).
In his announcement Norman said, “I’ve spent years fighting for the Palmetto State in the state house, in Congress, and now I want to get the SAVE America Act passed in the Senate!”
Polling shows a close race at this point between Graham, Fry, and Norman, each with strength in separate areas of the state.
Graham, who grew up outside of Greenville, lives in suburban Lexington County near the state capital of Columbia. Fry, who defeated incumbent anti-Trump Republican Rep. Tom Rice in 2022, lives in vote-rich Horry County on the Grand Strand, and Norman lives in York County, in the booming Charlotte, North Carolina, bi-state area.
The primary winner will take on far-left Democrat Annie Andrews in the November general election.
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