Sen. Lindsey Graham death: What happens to senate seat?
ByNatalie Dreier, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Lindsey Graham death U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on April 27, 2026, in Washington, DC. Republican senators gathered to introduce legislation to fund the construction of a White House ballroom as a secure alternative event space following the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, DC Saturday night. (Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images) (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
ByNatalie Dreier, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
With the death of longtime Sen. Lindsey Graham, several questions remain about what happens next, including who will fill his Senate seat.
Graham was in the midst of his reelection bid for a fifth term in the Senate representing South Carolina, The Associated Press reported.
Gov. Henry McMaster will choose a temporary replacement to fill Graham’s seat until January.
The governor’s spokesperson did not answer questions from The Washington Post about the timeline, telling the newspaper by email, “at this time, our focus is on honoring Senator Graham’s life and service.”
There will also be a special primary for voters to choose the Republican nominee to replace Graham for November’s general election against Democrat Annie Andrews.
There is a one-week filing period for a special election in South Carolina. That filing period comes on the second Tuesday after a candidate’s death. The date is July 21. Then the special election will be on the second Tuesday after the filing period closes, or Aug. 11, with a runoff, if necessary, two weeks later, or Aug. 25, the AP reported.
The nominee will then have about two months to campaign for the Nov. 3 general election.
There is an issue, however, with the timing because federal law requires military and overseas ballots to be sent 45 days before a federal election. That date would have been June 27. The AP reached out to the Federal Election Commission for clarification on the rules.
Several rumors began soon after Graham’s death about who could replace him, even if only temporarily.
Some of the names the AP speculated included:
Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette
Rep. Nancy Mace
Ralph Norman
Rep. Joe Wilson
Rep Russell Fry
Mark Lynch
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessenet
Some, however, are already doubtful, including Wilson, who was said to have told President Donald Trump on Sunday, “My goal is to remain in the House to keep his two-vote majority for the American people!!!”
The president posted on Truth Social on Monday morning that McMaster should appoint Graham’s sister to finish out her brother’s term.
No Democrat has held the Senate seat vacated by Graham’s death for several decades. Graham replaced Strom Thurmond in 2003 after he had served since 1954.
Currently, the Republicans hold a 53-47 majority, but Sen. Mitch McConnell has been hospitalized for the past month. There have also been challenges to the slim majority because of ideological battles between the president and moderate Republicans, the Post said.
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Lindsey Graham through the years 2002: Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Alex Sanders (R) and his Republican opponent, Representative Lindsey Graham, take part in a 'Meet the Press' debate on October 13, 2002, during a taping at the NBC studios in Washington, D.C. The two candidates are running for the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Republican Senator Strom Thurmond in South Carolina. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Lindsey Graham through the years 2003: U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney (R) swears in Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) during a swearing in re-enactment January 7, 2003 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. This is the first day of the 108th Congress and members of the House of Representatives will be sworn in and leadership elections will be held. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Lindsey Graham through the years 2004: (L-R) Lee Ewing of Aerospace Daily, U.S. Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE) and U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) attend the American News Women's Club 12th Annual Roast & Toast where Bob Schieffer received the 2004 ANWC Helen Thomas Award For Excellence in Journalism or Outstanding Public Service on April 14, 2004 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Stephen Boitano/Getty Images) (Stephen J. Boitano/Getty Images)
Lindsey Graham through the years 2005: Samuel A. Alito (L) meets with Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) in his Senate office November 2, 2005 at the Capitol building in Washington, DC. President George W. Bush named Alito to replace departing Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Court. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Lindsey Graham through the years 2005: Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright (L) speaks as Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) reacts during a taping of NBC's "Meet the Press" at the NBC studios December 11, 2005 in Washington, DC. Albright and Graham spoke about the war in Iraq. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images for Meet the Press) (Alex Wong/Getty Images for Meet the Press)
Lindsey Graham through the years 2006: (L-R) Senate Judiciary Committee member Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), Chairman Arlen Specter (R-PA) and member Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) confer while U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales testifies during a hearing on Capitol Hill February 6, 2006 in Washington DC. The committee is hearing testimony on wartime executive power and the NSA's (National Security Agency) secret domestic surveillance program. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Lindsey Graham through the years 2006: U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) (R) talks with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) (2nd R), Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) (2nd L) and Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) (L) before President Bush signed the Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006 into law on the South Lawn of the White House July 27, 2006 in Washington, DC. Despite a move by conservative House Republicans to force a delay in the routine reauthorization, the bill passed the House 390-33 and the Senate 98-0. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Lindsey Graham through the years 2006: Senator John McCain (R-AZ) (C) speaks at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol with (L-R), National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN), Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Senator John Warner (R-VA) on September 21, 2006 in Washington, D.C. During the press conference it was announced that McCain and other members of the U.S. Senate had reached an accord with the White House over the interrogation of detainees in the administration's war on terror. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Lindsey Graham through the years 2007: U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) speaks during a press conference in the fortified Green Zone April 1, 2007 in Baghdad, Iraq. McCain is visiting Iraq with a group of U.S. Congressmen. (Photo by Sabah Arar-Pool/Getty Images) (Pool/Getty Images)
Lindsey Graham through the years 2010: U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) pauses during a markup hearing for the Kagan confirmation before the Senate Judiciary Committee July 20, 2010 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The committee has voted 13-6, in favor of President Obama's nomination of Elena Kagan to become an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, to replace Justice John Paul Stevens who has retired on June 29, 2010. Sen. Graham has casted the only Republican vote for Kagan. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Lindsey Graham through the years 2015: Chief political correspondent Dana Bash (L) interviews Senator Lindsey Graham during CNN's Politics On Tap at Walnut Brewery on October 27, 2015 in Boulder, Colorado. 25763_001 (Photo by Jason Bahr/Getty Images for CNN) (Jason Bahr)
Lindsey Graham through the years 2015: Senator Lindsey Graham serves guests as part of CNN's Politics On Tap at Walnut Brewery on October 27, 2015, in Boulder, Colorado. (Photo by Jason Bahr/Getty Images for CNN) (Jason Bahr)
Lindsey Graham through the years 2018: U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) touches the casket during the ceremony honoring the late US Senator John McCain inside the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, August 31, 2018, in Washington, DC. The late senator died on August 25 at the age of 81 after a long battle with brain cancer. He will lie in state at the U.S. Capitol on Friday, a rare honor bestowed on only 31 people in the past 166 years. Sen. McCain will be buried at his final resting place at the U.S. Naval Academy on Sunday. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Lindsey Graham through the years 2021: U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol January 7, 2021 in Washington, DC. Sen. Graham condemned the pro-Trump mob’s action of storming the Capitol the day before. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Lindsey Graham through the years 2021: U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) speaks on southern border security and illegal immigration, during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on July 30, 2021 in Washington, DC. Graham urged the Biden administration to name former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson as a border czar. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Lindsey Graham through the years 2022: U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) attends a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on August 05, 2022 in Washington, DC. The group of Republican Senators held a press conference to speak out against the Democrats' tax and spending policies. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Lindsey Graham through the years 2023: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) speaks alongside Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) during a press conference on border security alongside Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) at the U.S. Capitol Building on September 27, 2023 in Washington, DC. Senate Republicans held a news conference to speak about the southern border and the need for more money for its security to be included in upcoming government funding legislation. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Lindsey Graham through the years 2024: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on July 31, 2024, in Washington, DC. Graham is introducing legislation to hold Iran accountable for Hezbollah's strike on the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights. Israel launched a deadly strike on a densely populated Beirut suburb in retaliation for the strike over the weekend. Lebanese officials said at least three civilians were killed and 74 others wounded. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images) (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
Lindsey Graham through the years 2026: U.S. President Donald Trump (R) and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) speak to the media aboard Air Force One en route to Washington, DC on January 04, 2026. Trump is returning to the White House after giving the order for the United States law enforcement to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Lindsey Graham through the years 2026: U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol on January 29, 2026 in Washington, DC. Graham announced the Senate had failed to reach an agreement on government funding as lawmakers continue to work to prevent a partial shutdown at midnight on Friday. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Lindsey Graham through the years 2026: U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on April 27, 2026, in Washington, DC. Republican senators gathered to introduce legislation to fund construction of a White House ballroom as a secure alternative event space following the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, DC Saturday night. (Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images) (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
