On a day when U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham was eulogized at the National Cathedral, the filing period for a special primary to find his successor on the Republican ticket closed with nine candidates.
Twelve attempted to get on the ballot; three were not certified by the state party.
Glenda Gail Parker and Danny Ford II, son of the former legendary football coach at Clemson, each filed before Tuesday’s deadline to a list led by Graham’s sister, two members of the U.S. House of Representatives, and a former congressman and governor who briefly ran for president. Ford, however, was not certified and will not appear on the ballot.
Graham died July 11, two days after his 71st birthday, and would have been seeking a fifth term.
Per state law, the filing period is one week, followed by the primary two weeks later on Aug. 11. If a runoff is needed, meaning no candidate gets 50% of the vote plus one, it happens Aug. 25.
The successful candidate in the primary will take Graham’s spot on the ballot on Nov. 3. Dr. Annie Andrews, a Charleston pediatrician, is the Democratic opponent in November and is joined on the ballot by Libertarian Kasie Whitener.
Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nardone, to finish his term until the 120th Congress is seated in January. The 62-year-old Graham filed Friday and is backed for the six-year term by second-term Republican President Donald Trump.
Mark Sanford, former governor and U.S. House member, filed Monday. His presidential bid in 2019 was short-lived, lasting from a Sept. 8 announcement to a Nov. 12 suspension of the campaign that never restarted.
He had started a campaign for the 1st Congressional District seat in this election cycle but unofficially withdrew, though he still appeared on the ballot and was fourth behind Jenny Honeycutt and Mark Smith. Honeycutt defeated Smith in a runoff, seeking to fill the seat being vacated by Rep. Nancy Mace. She was unsuccessful in the gubernatorial primary.
Also filing Friday were U.S. Reps. Russell Fry and Ralph Norman, and Darius Mitchell. On Tuesday’s first day, Duke Buckner, Mark Lynch, Mark McBride, Clark Neilson and Samuel Shepherd all filed.
Mitchell and Neilson, like Ford, were also not certified by the state Republican Party.
Fry is already ticketed for the Nov. 3 ballot in a reelection bid for the 7th Congressional District. Norman, finishing his fifth term in the U.S. House of Representatives, was unsuccessful running for governor in the June primary. Mace has endorsed Norman.
In the June primary, Lindsey Graham easily bested five challengers including second-place Lynch (56.8%-28.9%) and sixth-place Mitchell (56.8%-2.3%).