The 2026 United States Senate election in South Carolina will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent South Carolina. Republican appointee Darline Graham and Democratic pediatrician Annie Andrews are the nominees for their respective parties.
Graham's brother, four-term incumbent Lindsey, won the Republican nomination in the June 9 primaries, but died on July 11. Appointed to her brother's seat and encouraged to run with the support of President Donald Trump, Graham defeated congressman Ralph Norman in a runoff on August 25 with 52.5% of the vote after no candidate received a majority in an August 11 special primary. Andrews won the Democratic nomination with 61.5% of the vote over former Paine College administrator Brandon Brown.
The winner is expected to be the first woman elected to the Senate from South Carolina. Democrats have not won a Senate election in the state since 1998.
Background South Carolina is generally considered a Republican stronghold, having last elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in 1998. Republican nominee Donald Trump won South Carolina in the 2020 presidential election by 12 percentage points; in 2024, his margin grew to 18 points. Republicans control every statewide office (except the state's comptroller office) and have supermajorities in both chambers of the state legislature, both U.S. Senate seats, and all but one seat in South Carolina's U.S. House congressional delegation.
Lindsey Graham was first elected in 2002, defeating Democrat Alex Sanders by about 10 percentage points. He was reelected in 2008, 2014, and most recently in 2020, defeating Jaime Harrison by 10 percentage points in what was expected to be a dead heat. In January 2025, he declared that he was running for reelection. Graham died suddenly on July 11, 2026, of cardiac arrest.
Interim appointment After Graham died, Governor Henry McMaster was tasked with appointing a successor to serve the remainder of his term. Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette was considered a possible appointee, while U.S. Representative Joe Wilson declined consideration. On July 13, President Donald Trump publicly recommended that McMaster appoint Darline Graham, Lindsey's sister, to serve the remainder of the term, as did Senate Majority Leader John Thune. McMaster selected Darline on July 13 and she was sworn in on July 14. She is the first woman to represent South Carolina in the U.S. Senate. On July 20, Darline announced that she is running for her first full term in office.
Appointee Darline Graham, commissioner for the South Carolina Commission for the Blind (2019–2026)
Considered but not appointed Pamela Evette, lieutenant governor of South Carolina (2019-present)
Declined to be considered Joe Wilson, U.S. representative from (2001–present) (running for reelection)
Initial Republican primary Candidates Died after nomination Lindsey Graham, incumbent U.S. senator (died July 11, 2026)
Eliminated in primary Calvin Cowen, Duncan council member Thomas Dismukes, motivational speaker Patrick Herrmann, Horry County Republican Party executive committeeman Mark Lynch, appliance repair executive (also ran in special primary) Darius L. Mitchell, hip hop artist (disqualified from special primary)
Did not file Thomas Murphy, retired Navy hospital corpsman
Withdrawn André Bauer, former lieutenant governor of South Carolina (2003–2011), candidate for governor in 2010, and candidate for South Carolina's 7th congressional district in 2012 Paul Dans, former Office of Personnel Management chief of staff (2020) and Project 2025 architect (endorsed Lynch) Ethan Holliman, graduate student
Declined Ralph Norman, U.S. representative from (2017–present) (ran for governor, ran in special primary) Mark Sanford, former governor of South Carolina (2003–2011), U.S. representative from (1995–2001, 2013–2019), and candidate for president in 2020 (declared for but did not file for U.S. House, ran in US Senate special primary)
Endorsements
Fundraising Campaign finance reports as of March 31, 2026CandidateRaisedSpentCash on handThomas Dismukes (R)$14,935$13,125$1,810Lindsey Graham (R)$20,688,173$21,566,021$11,613,609Ethan Holliman (R)$20,270$20,270$0Mark Lynch (R)$5,726,191$2,398,855$3,327,336Paul Dans (R)$1,011,421$565,237$446,184Source: Federal Election Commission
Polling Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Marginof error PaulDans LindseyGraham MarkLynch Other UndecidedTrafalgar Group (R)June 5–7, 20261,200 (LV)± 2.9%49%29%11%11%InsiderAdvantage (R)June 5–6, 2026800 (LV)± 3.5%51%21%10%18%The Public Sentiment InstituteJune 3–4, 2026388 (LV)± 5.0%51%26%18%4%The CitadelMay 21–31, 2026600 (LV)± 4.5%46%36%18%Trafalgar Group (R)May 21–24, 20261,125 (LV)± 2.9%52%28%12%8%InsiderAdvantage (R)May 13–14, 2026800 (LV)± 3.5%56%13%8%23% April 10, 2026 Dans withdraws from the racePulse Opinion Research (R)March 11–17, 20261,000 (LV)± 3.1%11%41%21%22%Quantus Insights (R)October 1–4, 2025600 (RV)± 4.2%7%58%15%20%6%51%11%32%Big Data Poll (R)September 26–29, 2025827 (RV)± 3.5%22%46%4%28%Quantus Insights (R)June 10–13, 2025600 (RV)± 3.8%48%23%29%Big Data Poll (R)June 8–11, 2025 (V)± 3.5%9%50%11%30%Pulse Opinion Research (R)May 15–21, 20251,062 (LV)43%29%5%23%
Results
Special Republican primary Lindsey Graham, who had won the Republican primary, died on July 11, 2026. Under South Carolina law, a special primary election was held on August 11 to select a replacement Republican nominee.
The three-week campaign was an unusually compressed U.S. Senate race. The candidate filing period opened at noon on July 21 and closed at noon on July 28. The South Carolina State Election Commission ruled that the special Republican primary will be treated as a continuation of the June 9 primary. Accordingly, only voters who participated in the Republican primary or did not vote in either party's June 9 primary were eligible to vote; those who voted in the Democratic primary were ineligible, despite South Carolina's open primary system, which does not require party registration. Federal law generally requires military and overseas ballots to be mailed at least 45 days before a federal election, while the special election took take place 31 days after Lindsey Graham's death triggered the vacancy.
In June, the South Carolina Republican Party adopted a measure stating that to qualify for elected office in a Republican primary, a candidate must have voted in at least two of the last three statewide Republican primary elections. On July 28, the South Carolina Republican Party decertified three candidates seeking the nomination. Clark Neilson was disqualified for not living in the state and Darius Mitchell and Danny Ford II were disqualified for not meeting the new state party requirement. On July 30, Ford announced that he was suing the South Carolina Republican party to be placed on the ballot. His attorney, state senator Brad Hutto, said the party's new rule violates both the South Carolina and the US constitutions. On August 3, Richland County judge Daniel Coble ordered that Ford's name be on the ballot.
U.S. President Donald Trump said that if she ran in the primary he would endorse Darline Graham, Lindsey Graham's sister. By July 20, she announced she would run in the special primary for a full term. Ralph Norman, Russell Fry, Mark Sanford, and Mark Lynch also launched campaigns. No candidate received a majority of the vote, so a runoff election between Darline Graham and Ralph Norman was held on August 25.
Candidates Nominee Darline Graham, incumbent senator (2026–present)
Eliminated in runoff Ralph Norman, U.S. representative from (2017–present) and candidate for governor in 2026
Eliminated in primary Duke Buckner, attorney and perennial candidate Danny Ford II, son of former Clemson football coach Danny Ford, and candidate for South Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture in 2026 Russell Fry, U.S. representative from South Carolina's 7th congressional district (2023–present) (also running for reelection) Mark Lynch, appliance repair executive (also ran in initial primary) Mark McBride, former mayor of Myrtle Beach and candidate for South Carolina's 7th congressional district in 2022 Glenda Gail Parker, retired Air Force officer, Pentagon civil servant and contractor Mark Sanford, former governor of South Carolina (2003–2011), U.S. representative from South Carolina's 1st congressional district (1995–2001, 2013–2019), and candidate for president in 2020 Samuel Shepherd, biochemical engineer
Disqualified Darius L. Mitchell, hip hop artist (also ran in initial primary) Clark Neilson, North Carolina business owner
Declined Scott Bessent, United States Secretary of the Treasury (2025–present) Sheri Biggs, U.S. representative from South Carolina's 3rd congressional district (2025–present) (running for reelection, declined to endorse) Trey Gowdy, former U.S. representative from (2011–2019) Nikki Haley, former United States ambassador to the United Nations (2017–2018), former governor of South Carolina (2011–2017), and candidate for president in 2024 (endorsed Norman in runoff) Nancy Mace, U.S. representative from South Carolina's 1st congressional district (2021–present), candidate for U.S. Senate in 2014, and candidate for governor in 2026 (endorsed Norman) William Timmons, U.S. representative from (2019–present) (running for reelection, endorsed Graham) Joe Wilson, U.S. representative from South Carolina's 2nd congressional district (2001–present) (running for reelection, declined to endorse)
First round Endorsements
Fundraising Campaign finance reports as of July 22, 2026CandidateRaisedSpentCash on handDuke Buckner (R)$10,960$10,456$504Russell Fry (R)$495,027$10,441$484,586Mark Lynch (R)$5,919,539$5,372,977$546,561Ralph Norman (R)$173,610$2,189$171,421Mark Sanford (R)$206,237$177,136$1,352,604Source: Federal Election Commission
Polling Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Margin RussellFry DarlineGraham MarkLynch RalphNorman MarkSanford Other UndecidedTrafalgar Group (R)August 8–10, 20261,027 (LV)± 2.9%18%26%8%20%18%5%5%Quantus Insights (R)August 5–6, 2026668 (LV)± 4.0%20%33%8%20%17%2%co/efficient (R)July 28–30, 2026857 (LV)± 3.3%16%30%6%15%9%4%20%Trafalgar Group (R)July 28–30, 2026989 (LV)± 2.9%17%27%8%17%15%2%12%Emerson CollegeJuly 28–29, 2026500 (LV)± 4.3%12%19%7%22%11%3%25%
Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Margin PamelaEvette RussellFry DarlineGraham TreyGowdy MarkLynch NancyMace HenryMcMaster RalphNorman MarkSanford Other UndecidedResonance Media Services (R)July 21, 2026600 (LV)± 4.0%10%7%21%7%3%17%7%1%25%Innovative Communication StrategiesJuly 20–21, 2026788 (LV)± 3.5%6%12%16%9%7%19%5%2%26%Peak Insights (R)July 18–20, 2026900 (LV)± 3.0%4%9%9%38%7%6%13%4%2%8%Emerson CollegeJuly 14–15, 2026500 (LV)± 4.3%10%9%6%13%10%8%16%5%5%18%
Debates + Republican special primary debates Date Host Moderator Link Republican Republican Republican Republican RepublicanKey: Participant Absent Russell Fry Darline Graham Mark Lynch Ralph Norman Mark Sanford1 August 3, 2026 Gray Media Judi Gatson YouTube 2 August 4, 2026 Nexstar Media Group Alicia BarnesCarolyn Murray YouTube
Results
Runoff Graham and Norman were considered closely matched in the primary, with Graham's endorsement by Trump weighing against Norman's legislative experience and reputation as a staunchly conservative outsider. Trump vigorously campaigned for Graham, headlining a rally for her in Myrtle Beach. He also made numerous calls to prominent South Carolina officials to secure their support for Graham, including to Russell Fry, who endorsed her on August 14, and to Governor McMaster, who held a press conference emphasizing his support for her.