Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., said she will run for a full term for the seat held by her late brother, Lindsey Graham, days after President Donald Trump said he urged her to jump into the race.
Graham said in an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity that she will run in next month’s special primary election to appear on the November ballot.
“I’ve made a decision,” Graham said in a clip released on X. “I’m in.”
“I’ve been praying a lot, talking to my family. But with the love of my family, with the support of his staff, I know I’m a hard worker. I learned that from Lindsey. He cared about the people of this state. I’ve worked for almost 30 years for the people of this state,” Graham said. “I feel like I can do it. I feel an inner peace about it. Will it be difficult? Yes, absolutely.”
Trump on Friday said that he had given his “complete and total endorsement” to Graham, the younger sister of the late senator. “I hope Darline does this, in that there would be nobody better to honor the legacy of her beloved brother, Lindsey,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
Graham was sworn in to the Senate seat last Tuesday, a day after South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed her to the role to finish out her late brother’s term, which ends in early January. The elder Graham died July 11 at age 71 of what was preliminarily diagnosed as a rupture of his aorta due to a hardening of his arteries, his office said.
Graham’s funeral services are scheduled for July 28 in Washington, D.C., and July 29 in South Carolina.
Other GOP candidates who have announced plans to run in the Aug. 11 election include Republican Reps. Russell Fry and Ralph Norman and businessman Mark Lynch, who lost to Lindsey Graham in the June Republican primary.
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., who ran an unsuccessful bid for governor this year, said in a video statement Monday afternoon that she will not be seeking the Senate seat.
“I want to be straight with you. I’m not running for the U.S. Senate, not because I’m backing down from a fight, but because the one I’m already in matters now,” Mace said, referring to her legislative efforts on protecting women from sexual abuse.
“I’m not chasing another title; I’m chasing justice,” she added in her video, which was posted after Graham announced her candidacy.
The filing deadline for next month’s special election is July 28. The winner will go on to face Democrat Annie Andrews in November.
When she accepted her appointment to her brother’s seat last week, Darline Graham recounted their close relationship and said, “Lindsey has always been there for me, and now I will be there for him.”
