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Mace exits, Nordone enters
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) announced Monday that she would not run for Sen. Lindsey Graham’s U.S. Senate seat ahead of South Carolina’s Tuesday filing deadline, after Graham’s unexpected death last week.
“I’m not running for the U.S. Senate, not because I’m backing down from a fight but because the one I’m already in matters right now”
Mace said in a video posted Monday, "I’m not running for the U.S. Senate, not because I’m backing down from a fight but because the one I’m already in matters right now," and she added, "The laws meant to protect me and other women failed us, and I won’t stop until that changes."
The decision clarified the Republican field, which now includes Sen. Darline Graham Nordone (R-SC), the sister of the late senator, and Reps. Ralph Norman (R-SC) and Russell Fry (R-SC).
Graham Nordone, appointed by Gov. Henry McMaster (R-SC) to fill the seat following her brother’s death temporarily, confirmed she will seek a full term in the special election on Monday, and President Donald Trump backed her with a message saying she has his "Complete and Total Endorsement" in the special election for U.S. Senate in South Carolina.
Memorial services for Graham will begin Tuesday, July 28, in Washington, D.C., according to his office, with additional services scheduled for July 29 in Columbia and Pickens County, South Carolina.
Darline Graham jumps in
Sen. Darline Graham (R-S.C.) said Monday she is running for a full six-year term to succeed her brother, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), in the upper chamber.
During an interview that will air in full on Fox News Channel’s "Hannity" later Monday, Graham told Sean Hannity, "I’m in," and she said she decided to run after "praying a lot" and discussing it with her family.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) appointed Graham to finish the remainder of her brother’s term last week, less than 48 hours after the 71-year-old died of a "brief and sudden" illness.
The chief medical examiner of Washington, D.C., preliminarily ruled Lindsey Graham’s cause of death as aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, and the primary to determine who will take the deceased lawmaker’s place as the GOP nominee is set for Aug. 11 with the filing period running July 21-28.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said Monday he will not endorse a candidate in the primary, while Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) backed Graham shortly after Fox News shared part of her interview with Hannity, writing on social platform X, "I’m proud to join President Trump and endorse Darline Graham."
Norman resists, rules loom
Rep. Ralph Norman told NewsNation he would not drop out of the Senate race even if Darline Graham Nordone formally launches a campaign with Trump’s backing, saying, "No, I’m not going to drop out. I’m in this race to win it. We’ve got a country to save."
“No, I’m not going to drop out. I’m in this race to win it. We’ve got a country to save.”
Norman said he has already received endorsements from Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Rick Scott of Florida, and he added that Turning Point USA has endorsed him as well.
NewsNation reported that Nordone will hold the seat through January, but Trump has said he asked her to run for a full six-year term and has given her his endorsement, while the candidate filing period for anyone interested in running for Graham’s seat opens in two days.
The South Carolina GOP recently adopted new rules at their June convention requiring that anyone seeking the Republican nomination must have voted in at least two of the last three statewide Republican primaries, and a local party chair told NewsNation that public records indicate Nordone did not take part in the last two Republican statewide primaries.
The NewsNation report said candidates would have to receive a waiver from the party’s executive committee to run, or have the state’s Republican Party’s rules committee give them a favorable interpretation, and it also noted that a poll found 16% of South Carolina voters would support Norman’s bid while nearly 13% would support businessman Mark Lynch.