Tim Scott said Wednesday that he would love to see Trey Gowdy replace Lindsey Graham in the Senate, openly saying he has been calling the former congressman multiple times a day to try to pull him into the race. Scott called Gowdy an amazing senator for South Carolina and said he thinks Gowdy would fit the chamber well.
The comments came during an event remembering Lindsey Graham, just as the Aug. 11 special election approaches to fill Graham's seat. Scott's push put Gowdy at the center of the scramble for the vacancy and turned a private recruitment effort into a public one.
Scott's case rested on Gowdy's record. He served in the House for eight years, retired in 2019 and later became a host on. Before that, he led the House Select Committee on Benghazi and questioned Hillary Clinton about the 2012 terrorist attacks in Libya, a role that made him one of the most visible Republicans in Washington.
But Scott also made clear the obstacle. Gowdy has been equally plain that he is not looking for the job and is not asking for it, leaving Scott to admit that the effort may not work. That makes the recruitment less a coronation than a test of whether a prominent former lawmaker can be lured back into elected office.
Scott said Gowdy could easily step into the Senate Judiciary Committee, noting that Graham was expected to become chair next year. He also said Russell Fry was drawing the enthusiasm of Donald Trump, a reminder that the race is not built around one name alone. But on the question Scott was asked most directly — whether Gowdy will actually enter the Aug. 11 special election — he offered no answer beyond his own persistence.
For now, the public signal is simple: Scott wants Gowdy, Gowdy is resisting, and the seat Graham leaves behind remains open enough for the answer to matter.
