South Carolina Republicans will hold a runoff election to determine the GOP nominee to replace the late Sen. Lindsey Graham after no candidate cleared the 50% threshold in Tuesday’s special Senate primary, setting up a head-to-head finish in the coming weeks.
Darline Graham, the late senator’s sister and an appointed interim U.S. senator, advanced to the runoff following the ballot count, according to reporting summarized by Fox News and the Associated Press. The result keeps the replacement race unsettled—at least for now—after voters in the crowded field denied any single contender a majority.
The primary, conducted under unusual circumstances, took place roughly one month after Graham died at age 71. His death triggered a rapid scheduling process that differs from South Carolina election officials’ usual timelines, accelerating the path from vacancy to a statewide vote. One month after the sudden passing, the election concluded without a majority winner, making the runoff mechanism decisive.
Tuesday’s ballot included 10 Republican candidates, a mix of current members of Congress and several prominent political figures. In addition to Darline Graham, the field featured U.S. Reps. Russell Fry and Ralph Norman, former Gov. Mark Sanford, and a number of other contenders: Danny Ford, Mark Lynch, Duke Buckner, Mark McBride, Samuel Shepherd, and Glenda Parker, according to ABC News affiliate reporting. The breadth of the lineup meant the vote was likely to splinter across ideological and political profiles, raising the odds that no candidate would reach a majority.
Because no one topped 50% of the vote, the contest will now shift to a two-candidate runoff. Under the rules described by ABC News, the top two finishers from Tuesday’s results will meet again about two weeks later for the runoff election. That schedule is also reflected in accounts that characterize runoff as the likely outcome if the field fails to produce a majority winner.
Darline Graham’s path to the next stage has been closely watched, given her position as the interim senator and the symbolic connection to the late Graham. Fox News reported that she spoke to reporters after voting at her local polling place on Tuesday, underscoring how the campaign unfolded with the family legacy and the vacancy’s immediacy in the background. While she advanced, the fact that she did not secure a majority indicates the electorate’s preferences are not unified behind any single candidate—even with name recognition and incumbency advantages in play.
Among the other prominent figures still competing for the nomination are Russell Fry and Ralph Norman, both serving in the U.S. House. Their presence in the top tier of Republican support has shaped expectations about what the runoff could become: a contest among higher-profile lawmakers with distinct bases and messaging styles rather than a multi-candidate fragmentation of support.
Former Gov. Mark Sanford also remained a known national figure in the race, and the crowded field included several candidates with less statewide visibility but enough support to affect where votes ultimately landed. The overall pattern—majority failure—suggests that turnout and voter choice were spread across candidates rather than consolidated. In such circumstances, runoff outcomes often hinge less on who appeals most broadly to a statewide electorate and more on who can win over the supporters of candidates eliminated after the first round.
Campaign dynamics have also been influenced by national Republican politics. NPR described how some GOP voters said they were weighing the president’s endorsement in a field of contenders and still choosing candidates other than the one the endorsement favored. That willingness to diverge from an imposed preference can be a major factor in crowded primaries: when voters split among multiple choices, it becomes more likely that no candidate reaches the majority required to avoid a runoff. In this case, the election’s structure created an immediate test of how unified party backing truly is.
Even as voters decide who will take the next step, the context remains emotionally and politically charged. The race began after the death of a longtime senator whose tenure and influence were well established. As a result, the choice of a replacement is not simply procedural—it affects South Carolina’s congressional delegation and the state’s representation on issues the late senator championed.
As the runoff date approaches, analysts and voters alike will likely focus on coalition-building. The top two finishers will carry forward their base, but the central question becomes how supporters of eliminated candidates reallocate their votes when only two choices remain. The eventual nominee will emerge from this compressed timeline—first a special primary, then a runoff—until the winner’s place in the general election process can be finalized.
For now, the runoff ensures that South Carolina Republicans will have a second statewide decision point before moving beyond the initial vacancy. Tuesday’s result—no majority, Darline Graham advancing, and another candidate joining her—means the political fight to succeed Lindsey Graham will extend beyond the first ballot, prolonging uncertainty in a contest already shaped by the rapid schedule following a sudden death.
More than anything, the runoff requirement reflects what a crowded primary can produce: an unsettled majority and a sharper, two-person political contest. The coming weeks will show whether voters consolidate behind one candidate once the field narrows—or whether the competition simply intensifies as the remaining candidates court the supporters of everyone who fell short on Tuesday.
Fox News, ABC News 4, NPR, and the The Guardian contributed to the reported context and rules governing the race.
SHOP AMAZON BEST SELLERS, CLICK TO BUY FROM AMAZON.
SHOP AMAZON BEST SELLERS, CLICK TO BUY FROM AMAZON.
