South Carolina Republicans crowd field to succeed Sen. Lindsey Graham

South Carolina Rep. Russell Fry is the latest Republican in the state to throw his name in the ring to fill the late Lindsey Graham‘s Senate seat, as Graham’s sister, Darline, mulls a run and other hopefuls vie to win the race for a full six-year term.

Fry, in a statement posted to X on Monday, announced he’d run in a special primary election, scheduled for Aug. 11, setting the table for an intraparty clash that includes Rep. Ralph Norman. Darline Graham, who was appointed last week to fill the role on an interim basis through the end of the year, earned President Donald Trump‘s endorsement on Friday, but has not announced whether she’ll seek the party’s nomination.

Filing for the special primary officially opens at noon ET on Tuesday. The winner of that primary will face Democrat Annie Andrews in the general election this November, in a race the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter had labeled “Solid R.

“South Carolina, I’m in! I’m running for the U.S. Senate. Too many South Carolina families are struggling to make ends meet. High gas prices and soaring grocery costs are hurting hardworking people,” Fry said in his post.

“We need a conservative fighter in the Senate who delivers real results. I will be your conservative MAGA candidate in the special primary Senate election this summer. I’m ready for the fight, and I’m all in,” the post continued.

Lindsey Graham, 71, died July 11 of an aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, according to a preliminary finding by the Office of the Medical Examiner of the District of Columbia.

Fry is a close Trump ally who has represented South Carolina’s 7th Congressional District in the northeast part of the state since 2023. Norman, a conservative member of the House Freedom Caucus who failed in his bid for South Carolina governor in a GOP primary earlier this year, announced his plans to run for the Senate seat over the weekend.

“I’m running to represent the people of South Carolina in the U.S. Senate because we need a fighter who will stand with President Trump and carry on Lindsey Graham’s legacy! I’ve spent years fighting for the Palmetto State in the state house, in Congress, and now I want to get the SAVE America Act passed in the Senate!” wrote Norman, referencing a controversial, Trump-backed election bill that would impose strict photo ID requirements and require proof of citizenship to register to vote.

Norman has represented South Carolina’s 5th Congressional District in the north-central part of the state since 2017.

A victory for either Fry or Norman in the Senate nomination…