McMaster to appoint Graham replacement as GOP scrambles for Senate seat

Trump says he has a favorite as special primary looms

Republicans were expected to move quickly to fill the Senate seat left vacant by the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, as the party confronts a narrowed majority and a crowded legislative calendar ahead of the November midterm elections.

Graham died at age 71 after a brief and sudden illness Saturday evening, his office said. His death reduced the Republican Senate majority to 52-47. Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky remains unavailable to vote because of his own health problems, further straining the GOP’s margin.

Gov. Henry McMaster, a Republican, has the authority to appoint a temporary replacement immediately to serve the remainder of Graham’s term, which ends in January. Once filled, the GOP will return to a 53-47 majority, though McConnell’s absence remains a factor. The governor’s office declined to comment on next steps, saying the immediate focus was on honoring Graham.

The state will then hold a special Republican primary to select a new nominee. Given South Carolina’s deep-red lean, the winner of the primary is expected to be the favorite in the November general election, which will determine who fills the seat for a full six-year term.

President Trump said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he has someone in mind to replace Graham but declined to elaborate.

Names floated for a short-term appointment or who have expressed interest in running in the primary include Reps. Russell Fry, Nancy Mace, Ralph Norman, and Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, according to people familiar with the conversations. Mace said on Fox News on Sunday she would take a look at a run. House GOP leaders have signaled they are wary of any House member leaving for a new post before the end of this Congress, given Republicans’ narrow majority in the chamber.

Graham’s death also creates immediate legislative complications. This week, the Senate is scheduled to consider the nomination of Todd Blanche for attorney general. Blanche’s confirmation hearing is set for Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee, of which Graham was a member. His absence could make it harder to quickly confirm Blanche, as Democrats are expected to be sharply opposed.

Sen. Mike Lee of Utah said on Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures” that Graham’s death would leave “a massive hole in the Senate in the size and shape of Lindsey Graham. It will impact everything.” Lee added, “There are plans of succession in place, of course, and I’m sure those will unfold in the coming days and weeks. Nonetheless, the impact of this can’t be overstated.”

Graham chaired the Budget Committee in his final term, putting him in position to shepherd two major party-line bills through Congress in 2025 and 2026 using the budget reconciliation process, which allowed Republicans to bypass the filibuster. The first extended expiring tax cuts and added new tax breaks, along with hundreds of billions of dollars for the military and immigration enforcement. The second locked in higher immigration-enforcement funding levels for the rest of Trump’s term.

Some Republicans had been eyeing a third reconciliation bill, which could include military funding, reductions in social safety-net programs, and further tax cuts. Graham backed the idea, but GOP lawmakers are divided on whether to pursue it and what to include. Its chances were already shaky given the brief window remaining before November’s midterm election.

Graham’s death and McConnell’s health problems come as many Republicans have embraced a more isolationist posture. Graham helped convince Trump to strike Iran last year despite pushback from many in the president’s orbit, and McConnell has pushed for expanded military spending despite disagreements with Trump on other issues.

Graham, like McConnell, was also a staunch ally for Ukraine in its fight against Russia, despite Trump’s inconsistent support for the country. He had traveled to Kyiv on Friday for a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, said Sunday that at the recent NATO summit Graham had been at a dinner “working every senator on a strategy to end the war in Ukraine. Typical Lindsey.”

Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, who had worked with Graham on criminal justice and policing reform, said Graham was his “most unexpected friend in the Senate.” In a video posted Sunday, Booker described Graham as an “unguided missile” who could “spin around and hit you,” but added, “when he was aligned, when he would be at the right place at the right time, man he could get things done that other people couldn’t and bring a lot of light and new possibilities to the efforts.”