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South Carolina’s 2026 U.S. Senate Race
Updated 12 updatessince 129 outlets
The 2026 South Carolina U.S. Senate race began following the unexpected death of Senator Lindsey Graham, leading to a special GOP primary. Darline Graham won the Republican nomination after a runoff against Ralph Norman.
Timeline
Now
Darline Graham secured the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate seat in South Carolina after winning the primary runoff against Ralph Norman on August 25, 2026.
8 sources · The Irish Times, BBC
Senator Darline Graham and Representative Ralph Norman faced voters in South Carolina's special Republican primary runoff election on August 25, 2026.
4 sources · NewsMax, USA Today
President Donald Trump held a rally for Sen. Darline Graham at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center on August 21, 2026, to support her campaign for the GOP Senate runoff.
22 sources · AP, Fox News
Darline Graham and Ralph Norman faced off in their only scheduled debate before the August 25 runoff election for South Carolina's open Senate seat.
31 sources · AP, The Hill
Rep. Russell Fry formally endorsed Sen. Darline Graham in her bid for the U.S. Senate ahead of the August 25, 2026, runoff election.
25 sources · AP, New York Times
Senator Darline Graham finished first in the South Carolina special Republican primary with 33% of the vote, followed by U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, who secured 25%.
35 sources · NPR, Wall Street Journal
Filing period for South Carolina's special Republican Senate primary concluded with ten candidates officially entering the race. This includes candidates like U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, who recently exited a gubernatorial primary, and former Governor Mark Sanford.
18 sources · New York Times, NPR
Candidate filing for South Carolina’s special Republican Senate primary opened on July 21, 2026, allowing individuals to officially enter the race until July 28.
19 sources · CNBC, PBS
Sen. Darline Graham announced on July 20, 2026, that she will seek a full term for the South Carolina Senate seat once held by her brother, Lindsey Graham, who died unexpectedly on July 11.
11 sources · NPR, CBS News
President Trump endorsed Sen. Darline Graham for the special election to fill her late brother Lindsey Graham's Senate seat. Trump urged her to run for a full term during a visit to the White House, stating she has his 'Complete and Total Endorsement.
22 sources · New York Times, NPR
Darline Graham was sworn in as the interim U.S. senator for South Carolina on July 14, 2026. Appointed by Governor Henry McMaster just days after the unexpected death of her brother, Lindsey Graham, she becomes the first woman to represent South Carolina in the Senate.
19 sources · New York Times, The Guardian
Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina died unexpectedly on July 11, 2026, from a tear in his aorta, creating a vacancy in his U.S. Senate seat. His death triggered a rushed special GOP primary and ultimately led to the Republican runoff contest in South Carolina.
11 sources · ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos
- Origin Jul 11, 2026
The story so far
As of August 26, 2026
South Carolina’s Republican race for the U.S. Senate is down to a runoff on Aug. 25, and President Donald Trump just put his weight behind it with a Myrtle Beach rally for Sen. Darline Graham on Aug. 21. Graham, appointed to her late brother Lindsey Graham’s seat after his July 11 death, led a 10-candidate primary with 33 percent of 334,880 votes, with Rep. Ralph Norman advancing at 25 percent. The winner faces Democrat Annie Andrews in November in the state’s first open Senate contest in 22 years.
The contest has become a test of Trump’s pull inside South Carolina’s GOP versus the draw of a well-known conservative congressman with his own base. Trump gave Graham a full-throated endorsement, while Norman’s relationship with him has been cooler since Norman backed Nikki Haley in 2024. Graham is stacking establishment and regional support, including Sen. Tim Scott and Rep. Russell Fry, who finished third with about 20 percent and carried eight Pee Dee and Grand Strand counties. Norman’s strength is in the Upstate, where he took 10 counties, which helps explain why Trump’s rally landed in Myrtle Beach to consolidate the coast.
Substance has narrowed to a few moments that now define the choice. In their only debate on Aug. 18, Graham said she was not that informed on national security when pressed about China and Taiwan, later adding that China is a threat and that her focus is affordability. Norman argued for peace through strength and said the Senate is not a learn-on-the-job role. They also fought over Trump’s 2025 “Big Beautiful Bill,” with Graham saying Norman slowed it and Norman countering he forced out renewable energy subsidies before supporting it. The overlap on most issues, from immigration to prosecuting Anthony Fauci, makes readiness and execution the sharper dividing line.
Early voting runs through Friday, with the runoff Tuesday. What is at stake now is whether Trump’s late push, paired with Fry’s endorsement and coastal math, can convert Graham’s plurality into a majority despite debate-driven doubts about experience, or whether Norman’s Upstate base and longer record carry the nomination. The seat Lindsey Graham shaped around national security is being decided in a race where the pivotal facts are Trump’s involvement, the map of who won where, and a single debate exchange that reframed the question facing Republican voters.
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