Rep. Russell Fry, a close ally of Donald Trump, announced he will enter the special Republican primary to fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by Sen. Lindsey Graham’s unexpected death earlier this month.
The move could create political friction with Trump, who said last week that he would like to see Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, seek a full term in the seat her brother long held.
Fry’s Senate bid also carries broader implications for Republicans on Capitol Hill. If the 41-year-old congressman wins the nomination, the already fragile balance of power in the House could become even more precarious.
The South Carolina Republican is currently set to appear on the November ballot as he campaigns for reelection to his U.S. House seat, after running unopposed in last month’s primary.
Should Fry abandon that reelection effort to pursue the Senate vacancy, his departure from a safely Republican district could complicate House Speaker Mike Johnson’s narrow GOP majority.
Fry is not the only Republican eyeing Graham’s former seat. Rep. Ralph Norman, who recently fell short in his campaign for South Carolina governor, entered the race last week. Outgoing Rep. Nancy Mace, a prominent conservative firebrand, has also signaled she may jump in.
In a Friday post on Truth Social, Trump said he personally urged Nordone to run during her visit to the White House, praising her as “a spectacular person” and “a true American patriot.”
Lindsey Graham, who died earlier this month, speaks at a Trump campaign rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, in March 2020
Darline Graham Nordone, Graham’s sister, smiled after her swearing-in to temporarily fill his vacant seat last week
If Fry, 41, is successful in clinching the Senate nomination, it could also put control of the House in jeopardy. He’s pictured here at a victory celebration in 2022
Donald Trump spoke at a campaign event with Fry (far left) and late Senator Lindsey Graham
‘I asked Darline, for the good of our nation, to run for the U.S. Senate,’ Trump wrote before ending his message with the emphatic rallying cry: ‘RUN, DARLINE, RUN!’
Trump also promised Nordone his ‘complete and total endorsement’ should she decide to enter the race, saying there would be ‘nobody better’ to honor her brother’s legacy.
Trump’s decision to back Nordone was an attempt to take control, putting Mace,Fry, and others in their place.
Mace, who also lost in the gubernatorial primary last month, was one person who expressed her disappointment at Fry’s entry into the race.
‘If you’re running for two offices at once, you’ve already told us who you are. That’s not about politics anymore – that’s about power. You’re either with the people you serve or you’re not,’ Mace wrote on X.
Following Graham’s death, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster appointed Nordone to fill the remainder of the Senate term.
Graham was very close to his sister. She was by his side in 2015 when he announced his presidential run
Nordone with family members after being sworn in to fill her brother’s vacant Senate seat last week
‘Today, under the law, it is my duty and honor to name someone to serve in the place of this extraordinary man for the remainder of his term. It is my honor to ask his little sister, Darline, to finish his work,’ McMaster noted last week.
Nordone responded to Trump’s nod, saying she was honored to have the chance to serve and carry on her brother’s work, but did not announce she was definitely running for the job.
Mace also noted in her X post that ‘a sitting House member who wins the South Carolina Senate in November vacates his Republican House seat until next May.’
‘That narrows an already razor-thin majority and puts the Speaker’s gavel in play. I will never hand [Democratic Leader] Hakeem Jeffries that gift. This is an escalation that harms our country, our state, and our values at such an important time in our nation’s history,’ Mace concluded.
Fry won his House seat in 2024 with 64.9 percent of the vote.
The special election to replace Graham in the Senate is set to take place on August 11.
