Gov. Henry McMaster is expected to appoint a replacement to the United States Senate on Monday, moving to fill the seat held by Lindsey Graham after his death over the weekend. McMaster is due to make the announcement at around 4 p.m.
Graham died in Washington, D.C., after a tear in the aorta caused by an underlying cardiovascular disease, a medical examiner said. He was 71.
The timing matters because Graham’s term was set to expire in January, and the vacancy now opens a path that South Carolina law specifically allows the governor to take: appoint someone to serve the rest of the term. That appointment will only bridge the seat until voters settle the next stage of the race.
Graham was running for re-election when he died, which leaves the contest in an unusual position. A special primary will be held in August to decide who faces Democratic nominee Annie Andrews in the November general election. That means the seat will be filled in two steps: first by McMaster’s appointment, then by voters later in the summer.
What McMaster announces on Monday will answer the immediate question of who carries the seat for the months ahead, but it will not resolve the race itself. The larger decision will come in August, when the special primary sets up the November matchup and closes the opening Graham’s death left behind.
