WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 South Carolina Republicans will return to the polls Tuesday for the fourth time since June to replace the late U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham on the fall general election ballot.<\/p>\n
Graham won the June 9 Republican primary<\/a> for renomination to the seat he first won in 2002, but his unexpected death<\/a> on July 11 from an aortic tear<\/a> created a vacancy not only for his current U.S. Senate seat but also as the party\u2019s pick to compete for another six-year term.<\/p>\n The finalists for the Republican nomination are Graham\u2019s sister, U.S. Sen. Darline Graham<\/a>, who was appointed to serve<\/a> out the remainder of her brother\u2019s current term, and U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman<\/a>, a five-term congressman who ran for governor earlier in the year and placed third<\/a> in the primary.<\/p>\n Darline Graham placed first<\/a> in the Aug. 11 special primary<\/a> but fell shy of the vote majority needed to avoid Tuesday\u2019s runoff. She received about 33% of the vote, compared to about 25% for Norman. U.S. Rep. Russell Fry placed third with about 20% of the vote.<\/p>\n Graham swept the counties across central South Carolina, including the Columbia area, as well as the state\u2019s Lowcountry region, which includes Charleston. She scored her highest percentages in counties along the Georgia border.<\/p>\n Norman performed best in the state\u2019s Piedmont and Upstate regions, including the Greenville area. Fry did best in the eight counties in the Pee Dee and Waccamaw regions that he represents in Congress.<\/p>\n Fry endorsed Graham<\/a> after he lost the primary. She also has key backing from Republican U.S. Sen. Tim Scott and President Donald Trump<\/a>, who was an early proponent of Graham and held a campaign rally<\/a> with her Friday in Myrtle Beach. <\/p>\n Greenville County is the most populous in the state and typically contributes the most votes in statewide Republican primaries. It also has bucked against the front-runners in recent Republican primaries. Norman also carried Greenville County in the gubernatorial primary, and it was one of the only counties Lindsey Graham lost in his final election.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \n Sign up for the Ground Game Newsletter: Democratic-leaning Richland and Charleston counties have the next-largest populations and contribute a sizable number of votes in Republican primaries, but they tend to be more influential in Democratic contests.<\/p>\n Horry, Lexington and Spartanburg counties are also large counties that have big impacts on Republican primaries. Spartanburg was the only other county Lindsey Graham lost in the June primary.<\/p>\n The winner will face Democratic nominee Annie Andrews<\/a>, a Charleston pediatrician who challenged Republican U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace in the 1st Congressional District in 2022.<\/p>\n Lindsey Graham last won reelection in 2020 with 54% of the vote. Trump carried the state in 2024 with 58% of the vote.<\/p>\n
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