The president has indicated he is weighing a potential candidate to fill the vacant Senate seat left by the late South Carolina senator.
The Republican majority in the U.S. Senate is expected to quickly recover from the vacancy created by Lindsey Graham’s death.
Republicans currently hold 52 of the 100 Senate seats, following Graham’s passing late Saturday from what his office described as a “brief and sudden illness.”
However, South Carolina state law empowers Republican Governor Henry McMaster to promptly appoint a successor to fill Graham’s seat.
“In case of a vacancy in the office of United States Senator from death, resignation or otherwise, the Governor may fill the place by appointment,” the law states.
Graham’s term was scheduled to end in January, and he was seeking reelection in November’s midterm elections.
A Republican primary next month will decide the party’s nominee to succeed him. The first round is scheduled for August 11, with a runoff on August 25 if no candidate secures a majority.
McMaster issued a brief statement lamenting Graham’s death without addressing replacement plans. Although the law prescribes no deadline for the appointment, the governor is expected to act swiftly to avoid disrupting President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda in the Senate.
Graham stood among Trump’s most steadfast allies in Congress.
In his tribute, McMaster described the late senator as “the fiercest of fighters for South Carolina and America and a loyal and steadfast friend.”
“We grieve with Darline, his family and his devoted staff,” McMaster said, referencing Graham’s sister. “May God hold him gently in the palm of his hand. We shall not see his likes again.”
It remains uncertain whom McMaster will choose. He could name a interim appointee who declines to run in November’s midterms to avoid swaying the electoral process.
Alternatively, he might select a candidate who will seek a full term, granting that person incumbency advantages that could improve their electoral prospects.
Other governors have encountered comparable decisions. In California, Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom exercised both options in recent appointments.
When Kamala Harris resigned her Senate seat to become U.S. vice president in 2021, Newsom appointed state legislator Alex Padilla. Padilla subsequently won a special election for the seat in 2022.
In 2023, following Senator Dianne Feinstein’s death, Newsom appointed political strategist Laphonza Butler, who chose not to run in the 2024 election.
In Graham’s case, the White House may influence the decision. Trump has signaled he is considering endorsing a candidate to succeed the senator.
“I have somebody that I think would be great, but I don’t want to say it now because it’s just too soon with Lindsey,” the president told NBC News.
“I don’t want to even talk about anybody, but I do have somebody that I think is really good.”
South Carolina, a southern state along the Atlantic coast, has been a Republican bastion for decades. Trump carried the state by nearly 18 percentage points in 2024.
Nonetheless, polls indicated Graham faced a competitive race. His Democratic opponent, pediatrician Annie Andrews, was narrowing the margin.
A June survey by Impact Research showed the late senator ahead by just three percentage points.
Graham had become a polarizing figure within the Republican base, due to his staunch backing of Israel and support for the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
On Sunday, Andrews commended Graham without referencing elections or politics.
“I hope that South Carolinians will join me in setting partisanship aside and offering gratitude to Senator Lindsey Graham for his service to the great state of South Carolina,” she said in a statement.
