Posted July 14, 2026 | by KimS | in 2026 Elections, DemDaily, Democratic Party, House, In Memoriam, Senate, Special Elections

DemDaily: The Legacy of Lindsey Graham

July 14, 2026

The unexpected death of South Carolina GOP Senator Lindsey Graham, 71, has further disrupted an already turbulent election cycle, while narrowing the GOP's votes in the last crucial months of 2026.

Republicans hold a razor-thin majority in the US Senate, and the absence of Graham and former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has been hospitalized for the last month, endangers their control of critical votes going into the final months of the 119th Congress.

A staunch supporter of Ukraine, Graham died hours after returning from a trip to Kyiv, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelensky. The cause of death was ruled to be an aortic dissection or tear resulting from heart disease.

35 of the 100 US Senate seats are up for election in 2026, with Democrats defending 13 seats (with four open seats) and Republicans defending 22 seats (including now eight open seats). With a 53-47 GOP majority in the Senate, Democrats will need to flip a net four seats to retake the Senate.

35 of the 100 US Senate seats are up for election in 2026, with Democrats defending 13 seats (with four open seats) and Republicans defending 22 seats (including now eight open seats). With a 53-47 GOP majority in the Senate, Democrats will need to flip a net four seats to retake the Senate.

Status of the Seat
The vacancy caused two immediate actions: First, on Monday, South Carolina GOP Governor Henry McMaster appointed Graham's sister, Darline Graham Nordone, as interim Senator to fill her brother's seat for the remainder of his term, which expires on January 3, 2027.

One of Graham's closest political advisors, Nordone was involved in all of his campaigns, often serving as a public surrogate and stand-in partner for the Senator, who was not married. The two were extremely close, having lost both their parents in a space of 15 months when Darlene was 13 and Lindsey was 22 years old. Graham legally adopted her so she could receive his military benefits while he served in the Air Force.

Second, as Graham was up for re-election this November and the Senator had just won renomination in the June 9 primary, his death triggers a special GOP primary on August 11 to pick his replacement on the ballot, with a filing window of July 21–28 and a runoff, if needed, on August 25.

The Contenders
Graham's passing immediately ignited a scramble among South Carolina conservatives, with the list of potential contenders shifting daily. Trump has already weighed in on the special election, saying on Sunday that McMaster, who is termed out as governor at the end of this year, would be "fantastic,” and today that former Congressman Trey Gowdy would be a superb choice, but he is not prepared to make an endorsement now. Yesterday

Lt. Governor Pamela Evette, who earned Trump’s endorsement in her own failed bid for governor, is a likely candidate; and South Carolina businessman Mark Lynch, who challenged Graham in the Republican primary, coming in second with 28% to the Senator's 57%, has confirmed he plans to run for the seat.

A number of South Carolina’s US House delegation have signaled their strong interest, including Nancy Mace (CD-1) and Ralph Norman (CD-5), both of whom launched failed gubernatorial bids earlier this year.

William Timmons (CD-4), Russell Fry (CD-7) and Gowdy have all been floated as potential candidates. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who is from the Palmetto State, and Congressman Joe Wilson (CD-2) have taken their names out of consideration.

"The Maverick"
The legendary Senator, whose political career spanned almost 35 years, first served in the US Air Force as a judge advocate (JAG) for six years following Law School.

He was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1992, at age 37, serving one term before being elected to represent South Carolina's Third Congressional District, where he served four terms. The lifelong conservative, originally considered an independent-minded "maverick," rose to national prominence as a folksy and witty member of the House Judiciary Committee that prosecuted impeachment articles against President Bill Clinton in 1998.

In 2002, he succeeded eight-term Senator Strom Thurmond upon his retirement, quickly building a reputation as an unabashed national security hawk and leading voice on defense, immigration, health care and, most distinctively, foreign policy.

In the Senate, Graham aligned with GOP Senator John McCain and moderate Democrat (later turned Independent) Joe Lieberman, nicknamed "The Three Amigos," to form a moderate, highly interventionist foreign policy trio. Credited as a bipartisan negotiator, he frequently broke party ranks to work with Democrats. He co-authored the "Gang of Eight" immigration reform bill, partnered on climate change legislation, and voted to confirm Democratic Supreme Court nominees Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.

Graham competed unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination in the 2016 presidential election, when he fiercely denounced Donald Trump as a "demagogue" and "a race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot," warning Republicans, “If we nominate Donald Trump, we will get destroyed… and we will deserve it.”

By the middle of 2017, however, Graham pivoted sharply to become one of Trump's most ardent defenders and closest congressional allies. "The one-time Republican 'maverick,' noted MSN, "abandoned most of his pretenses toward independent political thinking in the service of Donald Trump’s presidency." Graham's rhetoric gradually grew more combative, aligning himself with the America First platform and backing away from his previous bipartisan stances on immigration and climate policy. In January of this year, Graham proclaimed, “Donald J. Trump, in my view, is the greatest president of all time.”

By the middle of 2017, however, Graham pivoted sharply to become one of Trump's most ardent defenders and closest congressional allies. "The one-time Republican 'maverick,' noted MSN, "abandoned most of his pretenses toward independent political thinking in the service of Donald Trump’s presidency." Graham's rhetoric gradually grew more combative, aligning himself with the America First platform and backing away from his previous bipartisan stances on immigration and climate policy. In January of this year, Graham proclaimed, “Donald J. Trump, in my view, is the greatest president of all time.”

In the Senate, Graham rose to become the powerful Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee (2019-2021), famously shepherding through the highly contentious Supreme Court confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett.

In January of 2025, Graham became Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, serving until his sudden death. In this role, he wielded significant power, utilizing the budget reconciliation process to fast-track sweeping tax and border security packages during Trump's second presidential term. He also served as a key member of the Foreign Relations Committee.

The General Election
The winner of the Republican special election primary will face Charleston pediatrician, professor, and public healthcare advocate Dr. Annie Andrews, who won the Democratic nomination last month. She previously ran as the 2022 Democratic nominee for South Carolina's First Congressional District, garnering 42.5% to GOP incumbent Nancy Mace's 56.4%.

Although a Democrat has not held the seat in more than six decades (Strom Thurmond switched from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party in 1964), Andrews is not to be dismissed. In an ad launching her campaign last year, she featured an X-ray of a child with measles pneumonia, saying the condition could be prevented by vaccines. A subsequent outbreak of measles in South Carolina and her additional public service announcements cautioning residents substantially increased her social media following and public profile.

A formidable presence, she had raised more than $8 million as of the end of May, with just under $3 million cash on hand, compared to Graham's $6 million raised with just over $4 million on hand.

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