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Updated on: July 20, 2026 / 2:53 PM EDT
/ CBS News
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Washington — Sen. Darline Graham, who is serving out the remainder of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham's term in the Senate, said Monday that she will seek a full term for the South Carolina seat her brother held for more than two decades. "I've made a decision," Graham told Fox News. "I'm in."The late senator, who died on July 11, had secured the GOP nomination in June for what would have been his fifth term representing South Carolina. With his death, the Republican candidate in the South Carolina Senate race will be determined by a special primary election. Republicans seeking the Senate seat may file between July 21 and July 28, before an Aug. 11 primary to decide who will take on Democrat Annie Andrews in November.Graham, 62, was sworn in last week, after South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed her to serve out the remainder of her brother's term, which runs through early January. Graham, who doesn't have a background in elected office, had a career in disabilities services and most recently served as commissioner of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind. She said upon accepting the appointment that finishing her brother's term "is what Lindsey would have wanted," noting that she planned to "honor him in this way."President Trump publicly encouraged Graham to run for a six-year term, writing in a post on Truth Social after meeting with her at the White House last week that she would have his "Complete and Total Endorsement.""I hope Darline does this, in that there would be nobody better to honor the legacy of her beloved brother, Lindsey," Mr. Trump said. In an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity, Graham said, "I have been praying a lot, talking to my family."
