Graham’s death sparks a race for the Senate seat as Trump points to his favorite

The killing of Sen. Lindsey Graham, RS.C., suddenly due to an undisclosed illness has sparked a two-way race to succeed him, and President Donald Trump may be at the center of the campaign.

Graham’s death overnight comes at a time when Republicans in the upper house need every vote they can get. The Senate GOP now has a 52-seat majority, and Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., absent is not clear, that majority is now 51 votes.

That will increase the pressure, and the drama, to find a replacement for South Carolina’s longtime attorney general.

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Trump, during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, said, “I have someone who I think would be great.”

“But I don’t want to say it now because, it’s too close to Lindsey,” Trump said. “I don’t even want to talk about anyone, but I have someone who I think is really beautiful.”

It is a process guided by the Constitution and the law of the land. The first step would require South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, a Republican, to appoint a temporary replacement for Graham.

McMaster, who is a close friend of Trump, can appoint an interim successor as soon as he wants. That election will remain in effect until the next special or general election.

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Fox News Digital did not immediately respond to McMaster’s office asking when he would make the announcement, or who he envisions replacing him.

Graham was already running for a fifth term in the upper house, and easily cruised to a primary victory early last month. That means whoever McMaster taps will serve until the end of the year to finish out the remainder of Graham’s fourth term.

The second prong is finding a long-term successor.

The filing period for that special election to win the GOP nomination opens July 21. The election is scheduled for Aug. 11, according to South Carolina law.

That race could see several regulars in South Carolina politics jump in, including McMaster himself, who is being called for governor.

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Rep. Nancy Mace, RS.C., leaves the US Capitol after a series of House votes on Homeland Security funding and the War Powers resolution on Iran on March 5, 2026, in Washington, DC. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Trump praised McMaster, noting that he accepted his first bid for the White House in 2016.

“Henry has been a great governor, you know now he’s out, but he’s going to do the right thing,” Trump said. “I think Henry will be good.”

There are six members of South Carolina’s GOP congressional delegation who would throw their hats into the mix. Rep. Nancy Mace, RS.C., who recently lost a bid for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, is looking to jump into the special election.

A person familiar with Mace’s plans told Fox News Digital, “Congresswoman Mace is considering a bid to run.”

Then there is Rep. Joe Wilson, RS.C., is the longest-serving Republican member of the Palmetto State delegation. He quickly shut down speculation as to whether he would enter the fray.

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“I’m happy to talk to President Trump today and remember our friend, Senator Lindsey Graham,” said Wilson to X. “I assured him that my goal is to stay in the House so that he can maintain his two-vote majority of the American people!!!”

Then there are four left: South Carolina Republicans. Ralph Norman, who also lost the GOP nomination for governor, Russell Fry, William Timmons and Sheri Biggs, none of them, so far, have indicated that they will jump into the battle for Graham’s position.

Meanwhile, Pamela Evette, who was endorsed by Trump in the governor’s race but ultimately lost to GOP nominee and South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, may also be in the mix.

Fox News Digital did not immediately receive responses to requests for comment from either candidate.