Trump urged Darline Graham to run for Senate. Days later, she’s in the race

Sen. Darline Graham will run for a full six-year Senate term after President Donald Trump publicly urged her to seek the seat, ending days of speculation that she would simply finish the remainder of her late brother Lindsey Graham’s term.

Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Graham to the Senate last week following Lindsey Graham’s death on July 11. At the time, she was expected to serve through the end of the term while voters chose a long-term successor in a special election.

Trump backs a full campaign

Friday, Trump publicly asked Graham to put her name on the ballot.

“During her visit, I asked Darline, for the Good of our Nation, to run for the U.S. Senate,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I hope Darline does this, in that there would be nobody better to honor the legacy of her beloved brother, Lindsey. RUN, DARLINE, RUN!”

Graham confirmed her decision Monday during an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, saying she spent the weekend talking with family and praying before deciding to run.

“I feel like I can do it. I feel an inner peace about it. Will it be difficult? Yes. Absolutely,” Graham said. “I’ve made a decision.”

Republican field expands

Graham joins Republican Reps. Russell Fry and Ralph Norman, both of whom entered the race before the filing period opened.

Fry wasted little time making his case to Republican voters.

“South Carolina doesn’t need just another senator. It needs President Trump’s strongest ally in the United States Senate,” Fry wrote Monday on X. “Make no mistake: I will be President Trump’s favorite U.S. Senator, and you will have a MAGA fighter you can count on.”

Rep. Nancy Mace, who had considered her own Senate bid, announced Monday that she will stay out of the race.

“I’m not running for the U.S. Senate, not because I’m backing down from a fight, but because the one I’m already in matters right now,” Mace said in a video announcing her decision.

Filing begins Tuesday

Candidates can begin filing Tuesday for the special Republican primary. The filing window remains open for one week.

The primary is scheduled for Aug. 11.

If no candidate wins a majority, the top two finishers will advance to an Aug. 25 runoff.

The Republican nominee will face Democrat Annie Andrews in November. Republicans have held the seat since 1998, making the GOP primary the race most likely to decide who succeeds Lindsey Graham for the next six years.

Round out your reading

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• ‘The end of American science as we know it.’ White House funding plan sparks alarm.
• AI data centers are popping up everywhere. What exactly do they do?
• The Trump administration is accused of breaking a law built to target the KKK.
• One Republican senator is dead, another is still alive. Both are the center of conspiracy theories.

Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief

Ella Greene

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