Word on the street is that South Carolina’s governor, Henry McMaster, has tapped Darlene Graham—the 64-year-old sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham—to step in as a temporary replacement. She’ll take over the Senate seat left empty when the long-serving lawmaker passed away.
McMaster shared, “Lindsey had been looking out for his little sister for years. It’s my honor to ask Darlene to carry on what he started.” She’ll serve out the rest of her brother’s term, which wraps up early next January.
Word has it that former President Trump told McMaster that picking Darlene would be “a fantastic tribute to Lindsey.”
Once Darlene is sworn in, the GOP will hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate—though Senator Mitch McConnell is still in the hospital recovering from his own health issues and can’t vote.
Lindsey Graham with his sister Darlene Graham (Photo from U.S. media)
On July 12, news broke that South Carolina’s Republican Senator Lindsey Graham had died suddenly from an acute illness. That set off a quiet scramble within the GOP.
South Carolina will hold a new Republican primary in August to pick a candidate to replace Graham in the November midterm elections.
A few Republicans have already thrown their hats in the ring, including Representatives Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman, as well as former Governor and Representative Mark Sanford. But insiders say Trump and his allies are leaning toward Russell Fry—though the former president hasn’t made a final call yet.
Fry, 41, has represented South Carolina’s 7th District since 2023. He made a name for himself by unseating Representative Tom Rice in a primary after Rice voted to impeach Trump following the January 6 Capitol riot. Trump backed Fry in the 2022 and 2024 primaries, calling him a “MAGA warrior.” Fry’s office didn’t respond to requests for comment.
On July 12, Trump told NBC he had “a very good candidate” in mind but wouldn’t name names out of respect for Graham. “I don’t want to talk about anyone right now, but I do have someone I think is excellent,” he said.
The White House responded on July 13 with a statement: “Any speculation is just speculation until the president makes an announcement.”