A last-minute push to find a Republican candidate to vie for Sen. Lindsey Graham’s seat has begun after the South Carolina lawmaker died from a “brief and sudden illness” on July 11.
The 71-year-old, who was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002, was running for reelection this fall after scoring the Republican nomination in a landslide victory in the state’s primary on June 9.
South Carolina law has a pre-established timeline that election officials must follow if a party nominee dies, including swiftly adding a special primary election to take place ahead of the general election.
“The filing period for this special primary election opens the second Tuesday after the death, disqualification, or approval of the resignation for one week,” the law states.
Candidates will be allowed to file paperwork to run for the U.S. Senate seat between July 21 and July 28, for the six-year term that begins in January 2027.
A special primary election will likely happen on “the second Tuesday immediately following the close of the filing period,” per state law.
If necessary, a runoff election will be held two weeks after the primary.
The Epoch Times has reached out to the South Carolina Republican Party for additional comment on how next steps will be handled.
As for immediately filling the seat for the remainder of Graham’s current term, which ends on Jan. 3, 2027, South Carolina law allows the governor, Republican Henry McMaster, to select a person to serve out the final months of the term.
The law did not specify how fast the governor needed to act.
