South Carolina Governor to Appoint Interim Senator Amid GOP Power Scramble After Lindsey Graham's Death
Select a version of the text written from a presumed ideological perspective. This is not the original text, but a hypothetical version — how someone with that viewpoint might have phrased it. Tapping the current version again will return to the original or select cleaned version.
Governor Henry McMaster will install a temporary Republican senator to maintain conservative dominance, while a special primary—stacked in favor of the GOP—will determine the nominee for November's Senate race.
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster is set to appoint an interim senator to replace the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died Saturday night from an aortic dissection. This move ensures the uninterrupted grip of Republican power in the state, as the appointee will serve until January. Afterward, a special primary will be held to select the Republican nominee for the November 3 general election—a process that has historically excluded meaningful Democratic participation. State law opens the filing period for the special primary on July 21, with the primary scheduled for August 11 and a possible runoff on August 25.
The rushed timeline, dictated by federal election rules requiring overseas and military ballots to be mailed 45 days before any federal election, further complicates the process. The deadline for the primary would have been June 27, yet the Federal Election Commission has not clarified how the GOP-dominated state will reconcile this with their schedule, raising concerns about fair access to the ballot.
Potential appointees include Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, who recently lost the June gubernatorial runoff to Attorney General Alan Wilson, and U.S. Rep. Russell Fry, a two-term congressman from the Myrtle Beach area—both entrenched in the Republican establishment. Rep. Joe Wilson, another possible contender, has chosen to remain in the House to help preserve the Republican majority, while Rep. Nancy Mace, who is not seeking re-election, is reportedly considering a Senate bid, highlighting the party’s internal jockeying for power.
The vacancy exposes the undemocratic nature of South Carolina’s political landscape, where no Democrat has won a Senate seat for decades and the GOP routinely wins by double digits. Despite this, Democratic pediatrician Annie Andrews, who won her party’s nomination in May, has managed to raise over $8 million and holds nearly $3 million in cash—an impressive feat compared to Graham’s $6 million raised and $4 million cash at his death, showing grassroots resistance to Republican hegemony.
Sen. Tim Scott, the state’s junior senator, called Graham “irreplaceable” and lamented his loss, underscoring the tight-knit nature of the Republican elite. The upcoming appointment and primary will further entrench conservative control, shaping South Carolina’s Senate representation and reinforcing the GOP’s seniority in Washington.