COLUMBIA — Two leading contenders for Lindsey Graham’s U.S. Senate seat — U.S. Reps. Russell Fry and Ralph Norman — spoke with reporters July 24 to share their early visions to succeed the late lawmaker in an upcoming special primary.
But the person most were waiting to hear from — Graham’s sister and sitting U.S. Sen. Darline Graham — declined to take questions in her first in-state public appearance as a candidate, asking the press for grace as she prepares to bury her brother over two days of ceremonies in Washington, D.C., and South Carolina next week.
Graham has enjoyed early front-runner status since announcing her entry into the race with President Donald Trump’s blessing shortly after her brother’s sudden death July 11 from an aortic rupture.
She has led in most early public polling of the growing field of candidates. And with her brother’s status in Washington, she inherited a formidable campaign war chest — receiving a boost of nearly $1 million in commitments from a Graham-allied political action committee in the opening days of the race.
But in her mourning, the newly minted senator has been elusive, appearing only for a friendly interview with conservative show host Sean Hannity in the days after her swearing-in as she began to learn the ropes in Washington.
Appearing before the South Carolina press corps for the first time since Gov. Henry McMaster announced her as her brother’s successor, Graham took no questions a she filed to be a GOP primary candidate at the S.C. Election Commission headquarters.
She instead asked for “a little bit of time” during a challenging period for her family.
Graham delivers brief remarks to the press, but does not take questions from reporters, asking for grace ahead of her brother's funeral. pic.twitter.com/ppIKjRDFvC
— Nick Reynolds (@IAmNickReynolds) July 24, 2026
“I'm going to work hard to carry on Lindsey's legacy,” she said in brief prepared remarks, touting several pieces of legislation she co-sponsored in her first two weeks in office.
“I've worked hard for the people of South Carolina for the past 30 years, and that's what I plan to continue to do,” she added, alluding to her roles in government that included leading the S.C. Commission for the Blind.
She will have stiff competition to win her party’s nomination in the Aug. 11 special primary to then compete against Democrat Annie Andrews in November. As of July 24, nine candidates have filed with the election commission. Former governor and congressman Mark Sanford plans to submit his paperwork July 27.
Darline Graham so far has served as a proxy for her brother, inheriting his staff and Senate committee positions. But in her one media appearance, she told Hannity she hoped to hang her own shingle as a candidate, saying she planned to place a greater emphasis on issues like affordability and domestic policy than her brother.
Early on, her opponents are working to distinguish themselves from her brother as well.
Where Lindsey Graham made foreign policy the centerpiece of his quarter-century in office, candidates like Myrtle Beach congressman Russell Fry have sought to downplay the subject, leaving the topic unaddressed on his campaign website and avoiding questions about his positions on international politics in a statehouse press conference shortly after filing his election paperwork July 24.
“Foreign policy is important,” he told reporters. “But ‘America First’ politics starts at home. Charity begins at home. And look, there's a lot of needs and pressures around the world, and certainly the United States needs to lead and show that strength around the world. Strength is an incredible deterrent, but we need to make sure that we're taking care of our citizens.”
Fry, who said he raised a half-million dollars since announcing his candidacy last week, has also sought to portray himself as the strongest vessel to do so. He has faced criticism from supporters of candidates like Norman, who argue a Fry victory could force him to vacate his seat in Congress in a year Democrats have the opportunity to regain control of the House of Representatives. Fry brushed off those claims as a “distraction.”
“I didn't plan on serving in Congress for another 40 years to wait him out,” Fry said of his decision to try and succeed Graham.
At 41 years old, he is more than three decades younger than Norman, a Rock Hill congressman who would be 80 by the time his prospective six-year term is concluded.
“South Carolina has a history of continuing to elect senators until they reach triple-digits” in age, Fry joked, in reference to the late Strom Thurmond.
Norman, the third-place finisher in the Republican primary for governor, remains popular in conservative circles. He said he sees his experience as his strongest asset, brushing off reporters’ questions about his age following Graham’s death at 71 and the health struggles of Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, who is 84.
“Those who are complaining about it or using that against me, I tell them it’s my biggest asset. I look on it as a real plus,” he told reporters. “I guess what they need to say is that they believe some people are too old to vote. Tell that to Ronald Reagan. Tell that to Donald Trump, who I think is 80 years old and is the leader of the free world.”