The president’s endorsement proved insufficient to stave off opposition to “birthright senatorship” as a crowded field lined up for a shot at late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-SC) seat.
Earlier this month, following his return from a trip to Ukraine, Graham passed away at 71-years-old, weeks after securing the nomination for his re-election. Appointed at the recommendation of President Donald Trump, and fully supported in her bid to stay in office, newly-minted South Carolina Sen. Darline Graham Nordone is set to face 11 opponents in an upcoming special primary.
While she and the president were joined by others from Capitol Hill and beyond in memory of the senator in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, it also marked the close of a one-week filing period ahead of an August 11 special election.
Detailing the slate of Republican Senate hopefuls tossing their hat in the ring, Meg Kinnard of the Associated Press described the political activity in the Palmetto State as a “jumbled and frenetic period during what would have otherwise been Graham’s expected glide path toward a fifth term.”
Atop the list were a few current and former elected officials, including South Carolina Reps. Russell Fry and Ralph Norman, as well as the former governor and former Rep. Mark Sanford — infamous for having disappeared to Argentina for an extramarital affair while claiming to be hiking the Appalachian Trail.
Having previously lost a primary race to Fry as well as a 2004 Senate primary to then Sen. Jim DeMint, former Myrtle Beach Mayor Mark McBride filed to run. Mark Lynch, who lost to Graham in the regular primary on June 9; Dave Buckner, an attorney who previously challenged South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn (D) for his seat; and Danny Ford II, who failed to secure the nomination for the state’s agricultural secretary in a runoff earlier this year, counted as the others familiar with the primary process.
Also on the list: self-styled “Hip Hop Republican” Darius Mitchell, retired U.S. Air Force officer Glenda Gail Parker, entrepreneur Sam Shepard and businessman Clark Neilson, still in the process of becoming a resident of South Carolina.
Ahead of her announcement during an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity that she would, in fact, seek election following her appointment, Trump offered Graham his coveted “Complete and Total Endorsement” to do so as he asked her to run.
While the full card of competitors showed spectators weren’t alone in opposing the promotion of “birthright senatorship,” the president pushed forward with his position during Tuesday’s remarks at Graham’s funeral service.
Speaking at Washington National Cathedral, Trump said, “Nothing could be more fitting than that woman who was Lindsey’s proudest legacy now continues his legacy of service in the U.S. Senate, a place that he cherished. And I have no doubt that he’s looking down today beaming with pride at his sister, Senator Darline Graham.”
🚨 BEAUTIFUL — PRESIDENT TRUMP: “Lindsey Graham said that for all his achievements — and he had many — his single proudest accomplishment in life was how well Darline turned out.”
“I have no doubt that he’s looking down today beaming with pride at his sister Senator Darline… pic.twitter.com/WNBQFkyuN5
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) July 28, 2026
Should no candidate secure a majority of the vote, a runoff will be held on August 25.
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.