Five Republicans Compete in South Carolina Special Senate Primary

Five candidates are competing in a special Republican Senate primary in South Carolina to fill the vacancy created by the death of Senator Lindsey Graham.

Mark Sanford, a former governor and congressman, is centering his campaign on the national debt and the rising cost of living. He is promoting these fiscal conservative priorities through a statewide barnstorming tour titled the Mama I Can’t Afford A New Truck Tour. Sanford enters the race with a contentious history involving Donald Trump, who supported Sanford's opponent in a 2018 primary that resulted in Sanford's removal from Congress.

Representative Ralph Norman, a five-term congressman and vice chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, is also running in the condensed primary cycle. Norman is emphasizing the SAVE America Act, a voting restrictions bill prioritized by Donald Trump. He has pledged to be very vocal in a Senate he describes as deadlocked, arguing that getting legislation to move will require more stalwart conservatives to vote as they do in the House.

Norman's candidacy follows a third-place finish in the state's Republican primary for governor in June. His standing with the party's base is complicated by his 2024 presidential primary endorsement of Nikki Haley over Donald Trump. Observers suggest this decision may have cost Norman the president's endorsement in both his previous gubernatorial bid and the current Senate race. The outcome of the primary will determine which conservative faction secures the seat in a high-stakes special election.