What Lindsey Graham’s death means for South Carolina’s Senate race
The death of Senator Lindsey Graham has triggered a dual-track process in South Carolina to fill his vacant seat in the chamber and his spot as the Republican nominee on the November ballot.
Graham, a prominent foreign policy hawk who served in the Senate since 2003 and became one of President Donald Trump’s closest allies, died Saturday night following what his office described as a “brief and sudden illness.” He was 71.
The fourth-term senator had secured the GOP nomination for a fifth term in the state’s June 9 primary. His death introduces sudden political uncertainty just months ahead of the November midterm elections, where Republicans are fighting to protect a narrow 53-47 Senate majority.
Trump paid tribute to Graham early Sunday, calling him “one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known” and a “true American Patriot.”
Graham, who served as chairman of the Senate Budget Committee at the time of his death, first entered federal politics in 1994 when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Newsweek has contacted the South Carolina governor’s office and South Carolina’s State Election Commission for comment outside of office hours.
Appointing a Temporary Successor
The path forward to replace Graham follows two distinct avenues under South Carolina law: an interim appointment to the active Senate seat and a separate process to name a new nominee for the upcoming general election.
Republican South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster praised Graham as “the fiercest of fighters for South Carolina and America — and a loyal and steadfast friend.”
McMaster will hold the authority to make an immediate, temporary appointment to fill the vacant seat. Under the South Carolina code of laws, the governor can appoint a successor to serve until January 3 following the next general election.
However, that appointment is strictly temporary and does not automatically grant the appointee the Republican nomination to face Democratic challenger Annie Andrews in November.
A Special Primary Timeline
Determining the permanent Republican nominee will require a separate process dictated by South Carolina Code § 7-11-55.
The statute mandates that the death of a nominee selected through a primary election creates a vacancy that must be resolved through a special primary election.
- Filing Period: The filing window for candidates seeking the nomination opens on the second Tuesday following the vacancy, which places the opening date on July 21.
- Filing Close: The filing period remains open for one week, closing on July 28.
- Special Primary: The special primary election will be held on the second Tuesday following the close of filing, scheduling the vote for August 11.
- Run-Off Election: If no candidate secures a majority, a run-off election must be held two weeks later, on August 25.
State law requires the final nomination to be officially certified no less than two weeks before the general election, establishing an October 20 deadline. If certification occurs later than that window, the office must be filled via a separate special election held the month after the general election.
Ballot Management
Because election logistics are already underway, the statute addresses the potential complications of printed ballots. Election officials are not legally required to reprint ballots that have already been finalized, though they are permitted to reprint them or cover the deceased candidate’s name where feasible.
Under South Carolina Code § 7-13-370, votes cast for a deceased candidate whose name remains on a printed ballot will automatically be counted for the newly certified nominee.
Contact Newsweek editors for this story: Daniel Orton and Anthony Murray.
