Darline Graham runs for full SC Senate term; Mace stands down

Late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s sister launches a full-term bid after Trump’s endorsement; Nancy Mace won’t challenge the seat.

Appointment and campaign announcement

CBS News reported that Graham, also known in official records as Darline Graham Nordone, announced she would run for a full Senate term after being named to complete her brother’s unfinished term. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed her earlier this month following Sen. Lindsey Graham’s death, CBS and other outlets reported. She was sworn in to serve the remainder of that term, which runs through early 2027, according to reporting shared on the network’s account and related coverage.

Her decision to seek election in her own right moves her from interim appointee to candidate in a compressed Republican nominating process. Multiple posts and news accounts summarizing the race said filing for a special GOP primary was opening this week, with a primary date reported for August.

Trump endorsement and field shape

President Donald Trump had recommended that McMaster appoint Graham to the vacancy, according to earlier CBS reporting, and subsequent coverage said he endorsed her bid for a full term. Graham has said support from Trump and her family factored into her decision to run, according to accounts of her public comments carried by other outlets; those details have not been independently detailed in the brief CBS posts announcing her candidacy.

With her entry, the South Carolina Republican field for the seat is taking clearer shape. Reps. Ralph Norman and Russell Fry have been widely reported as planning or expected to compete in the GOP primary. Politics and campaign trackers on X said Mace was expected to back Norman rather than seek the nomination herself, though that endorsement had not been uniformly confirmed across all outlets.

Mace declines a Senate bid

Rep. Nancy Mace, a South Carolina Republican, announced she would not run for the U.S. Senate seat, according to multiple reports following her statement. Accounts of her decision said she pointed to other political fights she is already engaged in rather than a new statewide Senate campaign.

Mace finished fifth in this year’s Republican primary for governor, according to election summaries circulated after that contest, and is not advancing in that race. Her decision not to challenge for the Senate seat removes one potential high-profile contender from a primary already expected to include sitting House members and the interim senator.

What’s next in South Carolina

The special Republican primary will determine the party’s nominee to succeed Lindsey Graham for a full term. Graham’s death, McMaster’s appointment of his sister, Trump’s recommendation and endorsement, Graham’s full-term announcement, and Mace’s decision not to run have all been reported in rapid succession over recent weeks.

Funeral arrangements for Lindsey Graham were reported as set for the near term in some coverage. Meanwhile, the interim senator has begun limited legislative activity in Washington, including cosponsorship of an election-related measure, according to separate political reporting; that work is distinct from the campaign announcement itself.

South Carolina voters will next see candidates file and campaign ahead of the reported August primary date. Outcomes of the GOP contest and any general-election matchup remain undetermined. Claims about vote totals, fundraising, or polling in the emerging Senate race have not been established in the primary CBS report of Graham’s full-term bid.