The sudden death of US Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina sets up a succession drama in the deeply conservative state that risks throwing the race into chaos less than four months before the midterm elections.
Graham died Saturday after a “brief and sudden illness,” his office said, two days after his 71st birthday. He had been set to face off against Democrat Annie Andrews, a pediatrician, in November.
South Carolina Republican Governor Henry McMaster can name a replacement for the remainder of Graham’s term. State election law then calls for a special primary election, creating an intra-party scramble that could help give Andrews an edge. President Donald Trump said Sunday that he had a candidate in mind to take over the seat but would not publicly name them because it was “just too soon” after Graham’s death.
“I don’t want to even talk about anybody. But I do have somebody that I think is really good,” Trump said on NBC’s Meet The Press. Trump endorsed Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette in her failed bid for the Republican nomination for governor but it is not known if she is interested in the seat.
While Andrews is considered a long shot in the safely Republican state, the Democrat is running in an election year that favors outsiders who can communicate effectively on issues like affordability. Graham, a close ally of Trump, had supported the Iran war, which has driven up gasoline prices and was widely unpopular with voters.
