Crowded Senate Field Brings Familiar Faces, Controversy and Legal Issues
After the untimely death of longtime U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a scramble ensued to replace the powerful senator on a compressed timeline. While many complained that prospective candidates were wasting no time launching campaigns, the reality is that the accelerated election schedule left them with little choice.
Twelve candidates filed for the special Republican primary to replace the late senator on Tuesday, Aug. 11. Three of those candidates were disqualified by the South Carolina Republican Party (SCGOP). If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff between the top two finishers will take place on Tuesday, Aug. 25.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘆
Three candidates were disqualified during a Tuesday Zoom meeting of the SCGOP State Executive Committee.
One disqualification was straightforward. Clark Neilson, a resident of Charlotte, N.C., filed for the seat. While federal law does not prohibit a U.S. Senate candidate from residing outside the state at the time of filing, South Carolina law does.
Two candidates were disqualified under the new SCGOP rule regarding Republican primary participation. Even more controversial was the decision to keep the late senator’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, on the ballot. SC Confidential previously reported on the new rule extensively, adopted in late June by the SCGOP, requiring participation in two of the past three statewide Republican primaries. We opposed the new rule for many reasons, some of which are illustrated in this situation.
Darius Mitchell moved to South Carolina from New Hampshire in 2024 and was a candidate in the June primary for the same seat. Although he voted in both the primary and runoff, he was disqualified from the Senate ballot under the new 2-of-3 rule.
Danny Ford II, who finished a distant second in the June runoff for Commissioner of Agriculture, filed for the Senate seat 30 minutes before the deadline. Ford did not have a history of voting in the state’s Republican primaries, but he did vote in both June’s primary and runoff.
SCGOP leadership ruled that Mitchell and Ford did not qualify under the 2-of-3 rule because voting in both the primary and runoff during the same election cycle counts as only one instance of participation. Ford has since filed a lawsuit against the SCGOP challenging his removal from the ballot.
Richland County judge Daniel Coble has ruled that Ford be put on the ballot while awaiting a hearing on Monday, August 3 at 9:30am.
Most notably, Darline Graham Nordone, who has rarely voted in Republican primaries herself, was allowed to remain on the ballot because she voted in a Republican runoff in 2024 - not the initial primary or the presidential primary that year - and then voted in this year’s primary.
This means the SCGOP’s interpretation of primary participation is that someone who votes in either a primary or a runoff is considered to have participated in that election cycle. Conversely, if someone votes in both the primary and runoff during the same cycle, that still counts as only one instance of participation.
The same qualification requirement exists for those who wish to serve as GOP officers within the state party. However, that same deference has not been extended to many of those individuals across the state. Party leaders have previously stated that participation in the initial primary - not merely the runoff - was required.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗱
There are several heavy hitters in the race. Given the requirement to receive more than 50 percent of the vote, several candidates face long odds of making the runoff. Current polling and political chatter point to U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman and Darline Graham Nordone as the frontrunners, while others could play spoiler and improve their standing.
Polling shows that Norman is overwhelmingly the second choice amongst voters, which puts him in a strong position for the runoff.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀
𝘿𝙪𝙠𝙚 𝘽𝙪𝙘𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙧: Buckner is an attorney, former Walterboro city councilman, and multiple-time candidate for office. A gifted speaker, Buckner unsuccessfully challenged Sen. Graham in 2020 and later ran unsuccesfully against U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn in 2022 and again in 2026.
𝙐.𝙎. 𝙍𝙚𝙥. 𝙍𝙪𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙁𝙧𝙮: Fry, of Horry County, is the former Majority Whip of the South Carolina House of Representatives before being elected to Congress. That is not a particularly bright distinction within a body that has developed a reputation among many conservatives for governing well to the left of the Republican supermajority desired by the voters. Fry is supported by much of the Republican establishment throughout the state.
The biggest challenge facing Fry is the short amount of time he has to introduce himself to voters statewide.
𝘿𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙂𝙧𝙖𝙝𝙖𝙢 𝙉𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙤𝙣𝙚: While largely unknown before her appointment, the late senator’s sister served as a department head at the South Carolina Commission for the Blind. Her tenure has been marked by an expanding bureaucracy within the agency, support for DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives and increases in both the agency’s budget and her salary.
While favored by the Washington establishment, her candidacy has encountered resistance from parts of the South Carolina Republican establishment. Many were caught off guard when she announced she would seek the full term after receiving the temporary appointment from Gov. Henry McMaster.
Note: Darline’s property records and minutes from the Commission for the Blind identify her as “Darline Graham.” However, her Facebook profile uses “Darline Graham Nordone,” so we will continue referring to her by that name.
𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙇𝙮𝙣𝙘𝙝: A successful Upstate businessman and evangelical Christian who ran in June’s primary, Lynch has a compelling argument. He challenged Graham in the original election and is continuing that campaign in the special election, doubling down on the personal financial investment he already made. None of the other candidates previously challenged Graham in this same election.
Lynch finished second by a wide margin in the June primary. He has a loyal following, although many of his previous supporters have said they voted for him primarily because he was running against Graham rather than because they strongly supported Lynch himself.
𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙈𝙘𝘽𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙚: A rock-solid former mayor of Myrtle Beach, McBride has sought numerous offices since his defeat as mayor. He has run again for mayor, U.S. Senate, Congress and the State House. Now living in Salem in Oconee County, he was previously running as a write-in candidate in November. He has no realistic path to victory.
𝙐.𝙎. 𝙍𝙚𝙥. 𝙍𝙖𝙡𝙥𝙝 𝙉𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙣: Norman, a congressman since 2017 and successful real estate developer, finished third in June’s Republican primary for governor before endorsing Attorney General Alan Wilson, who went on to win the nomination decisively.
Norman is a member of the House Freedom Caucus in Congress and helped found the South Carolina House Freedom Caucus.
Upon entering the Senate race, Norman immediately became one of the frontrunners. He has since been endorsed by several conservative members of Congress as well as Turning Point USA Action.
𝙂𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙖 𝙂𝙖𝙞𝙡 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙧: Parker is from Myrtle Beach, paid the more than $10,000 filing fee, and virtually nobody knows who she is. She supports failed light rail proposals. Good luck with that.
𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙚𝙧 𝙂𝙤𝙫. 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙐.𝙎. 𝙍𝙚𝙥. 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙎𝙖𝙣𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙙: Sanford was once considered a legitimate Republican presidential contender before famously claiming he was “hiking the Appalachian Trail” when he was actually visiting his mistress in Argentina.
He later staged a political comeback by winning a special election to Congress following his governorship.
Sanford became a vocal critic of President Trump and lost his bid for renomination in 2020.
He is campaigning on reducing the national debt, although many conservatives believe he drifted away from conservative principles during his final years in Congress.
Polling indicates Sanford faces deep unfavorable ratings, making him a long-shot candidate. He also briefly entered this year’s Republican primary for the open 1st Congressional District before withdrawing.
𝗦𝗮𝗺 𝗦𝗵𝗲𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗱: The Lexington businessman has an impressive résumé. Once again, however, he is another candidate with virtually no chance of winning.
The race to replace Lindsey Graham is moving at a rapid pace under an unusually compressed timeline. Stay tuned for our coverage as South Carolina voters prepare to fill one of the state’s rare open U.S. Senate seats.
