South Carolina GOP Senate Primary Heads to Runoff Between Darline Graham and Ralph Norman

South Carolina Republicans will hold a runoff election on August 25 after no candidate secured a majority in Tuesday’s special primary to select the party’s nominee for the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by the late Lindsey Graham.

Interim Sen. Darline Graham, the late senator’s sister who was appointed by Gov. Henry McMaster to complete the remainder of his term, finished first with approximately 33 percent of the vote. U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman placed second with roughly 23 to 24 percent, according to results with most ballots counted. U.S. Rep. Russell Fry trailed in third with about 20 percent. Under South Carolina law, a majority is required to win the nomination outright; the top two finishers therefore advance to the runoff.

The special primary became necessary after Lindsey Graham, a four-term incumbent and close ally of President Donald Trump, died on July 11, 2026. Graham had won the regular Republican primary in June against a field that included businessman Mark Lynch. His death left the November ballot without a Republican nominee, prompting the compressed special election process.

Darline Graham, a first-time candidate and former disability advocate who previously served as commissioner of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind, entered the race after her appointment to the Senate. She received Trump’s endorsement, with the president describing her as a true American patriot. Norman, a real estate developer and member of the House Freedom Caucus first elected to Congress in a 2017 special election, positioned himself as a consistent conservative and Trump ally while drawing support from figures associated with the party’s right wing.

The crowded field also included Fry, who represents the state’s 7th Congressional District; former Gov. Mark Sanford; Lynch, who had challenged Lindsey Graham in the June primary; and several other contenders. The short campaign window limited traditional organizing, elevating the importance of name recognition, existing political networks, and outside spending.

The runoff winner will face Democrat Annie Andrews, a pediatrician who won her party’s nomination earlier this year, in the November general election. South Carolina remains a strongly Republican state, and the eventual GOP nominee will enter the general election as the heavy favorite. The August 25 contest will test the influence of Trump’s endorsement of Darline Graham against Norman’s established conservative base and statewide profile from prior campaigns.

Final certified results and any outstanding absentee or provisional ballots will determine the precise margins heading into the two-week runoff period.