GOP Rep. Russell Fry Enters South Carolina Senate Race

Rep. Russell Fry (R-S.C.) on July 20 joined the South Carolina Senate race to succeed the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).

“We need a conservative fighter in the Senate who delivers real results. I will be your conservative MAGA candidate in the special primary Senate election this summer,” Fry posted on X, announcing his Senate campaign.

The race is to take Graham’s place as the GOP nominee in the Senate race in the Palmetto State.

Whoever wins the Aug. 11 special primary will face Democrat candidate Dr. Annie Andrews in the November election. Graham won the June primary but died on July 11 during a cardiac episode following a trip to Ukraine.

President Donald Trump previously appeared to back Fry to succeed Graham in the Senate.

“I think Russell Fry, a young congressman, is outstanding, and that could happen. I could see that happening,” Trump told Newsmax on Monday night. “I think he’s a very, very talented person.”

Trump has since backed Graham’s sister, Darline Graham, to run for a full term. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed her on July 13 at Trump’s request, and she was sworn in the next day to finish her brother’s term, which ends on Jan. 3, 2027.

“Darline, who comes from an absolutely incredible family, has been a winner all of her life and, should she accept, has my complete and total endorsement in the special election for U.S. Senate in South Carolina,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on July 17.

Darline Graham met with Trump in the Oval Office that day, where the president encouraged her to run for a full term. She has not yet said whether she will run.

“We have known each other for a long time—she is a spectacular person, and a true American patriot,” Trump wrote.

“Lindsey was one of the greatest people and senators I have ever known, and his sister shares his deep love of our country and the state of South Carolina.”

Candidates can begin filing their candidacy between July 21 and July 28. Early voting is Aug. 5 through Aug. 7. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two finishers will compete in an Aug. 25 runoff.

Fry was first elected to Congress in 2022, succeeding Rep. Tom Rice (R-S.C.), who was one of 10 House Republicans to vote for Trump’s impeachment following the Jan. 6, 2021, protests at the U.S. Capitol.

Fry is not the only candidate running in the special Republican primary. He joins Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), attorney Duke Buckner, and appliance repair executive Mark Lynch, who ran unsuccessfully against Graham in the primary.

A poll conducted by News 2 and Emerson College last week shows no clear frontrunner, with Norman in the lead at 16 percent, followed by Lynch at 13 percent.

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) and Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette both received 10 percent, followed by Fry with 9 percent and McMaster with 8 percent. Darline Graham received 6 percent, while former Gov. Mark Sanford got 5 percent. Another 18 percent of voters were undecided, while 5 percent said they backed someone else.

Mace announced on July 20 she is not running for Graham’s seat.

Evette and McMaster have not said whether they will run for the Senate seat. Mace and Evette unsuccessfully ran for governor in June.