Yet, Graham Nordone, on the ballot for a full six-year term, isn’t seen as a shoo-in to replace her late brother, Lindsey Graham.“It is a complete free-for-all, three-way race for second place,” predicted Tyson Grinstead, a Republican National Committee member and a 2014 Graham campaign adviser who’s a neutral observer to the primary.
Tuesday’s special election, largely seen as a wild-card contest due to a condensed campaign period lasting only a few weeks, likely won’t be the end despite the November general election safely in GOP hands. An Aug. 25 runoff between the top two vote-getters is expected unless one amasses more than 50% of the vote.The top contenders to be South Carolina’s Republican Senate nominee include Graham Nordone, Reps. Ralph Norman and Russell Fry, former Gov. Mark Sanford, and businessman Mark Lynch. Lynch lost the initial June primary to Graham prior to his sudden death in July from an aortic tear.“You can make a good case for any of the other three coming in second,” Grinstead said of Norman, Fry, and Sanford.Graham Nordone is leaning on support from Trump and leading Senate Republicans, including North Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, but she’s also made clear that while honoring her brother’s legacy is a priority, she intends to focus less on foreign policy and more on domestic issues such as affordability.“Obviously, I think Lindsey was an amazing senator. His interest was foreign relations and national security,” Graham Nordone said Monday on Fox & Friends. “And while national security is really important, I’m a little different, because here I want to focus on the struggles of the South Carolina families because, like them, I feel those same struggles.”Should Graham Nordone ultimately fail to secure the nomination, her appointment to the seat will conclude in January 2027. Polling varies and suggests the race is tight, but some surveys have shown her with sizable leads while still below the runoff threshold.Sen. Darline Nordone Graham (R-SC) leans over to hear a reporter’s question following a candidate event for hopefuls vying in a special Republican primary to replace her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, on November ballots, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026, in Florence, South Carolina. (Meg Kinnard/AP Photo)
