2026 United States Senate election in South Carolina
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The 2026 United States Senate election in South Carolina will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent South Carolina. Republican incumbent Lindsey Graham sought a fifth term,[1] but died in office on July 11, 2026.[2] The Democratic nominee is pediatrician Annie Andrews.
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November 3, 2026
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Primary elections were held on June 9, 2026. Graham won the Republican nomination with 56.8% of the vote, defeating businessman Mark Lynch. Andrews won the Democratic nomination with 61.5% of the vote, defeating former Paine College administrator Brandon Brown. Per South Carolina law, a special primary will be held on August 11 to replace Graham on the ballot.
Democrats have not won a U.S. Senate election in South Carolina since 1998.
Background
South Carolina is generally considered a Republican stronghold, having last elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in 1998. Republican nominee Donald Trump won South Carolina in the 2020 presidential election by 12 percentage points, and in 2024 his margin grew to 18 points. Republicans control every statewide office (except the state's comptroller office) and have supermajorities in both chambers of the state legislature, both U.S. Senate seats, and all but one seat in South Carolina's U.S. House congressional delegation.[3][4]
Graham was first elected in 2002, defeating Democrat Alex Sanders by about 10 percentage points. He was reelected in 2008, 2014, and most recently in 2020, defeating Jaime Harrison by 10 percentage points in what was expected to be a dead heat.[5] In January 2025, he declared that he was running for reelection.[6] Graham died suddenly on July 11, 2026, of cardiac arrest.[7]
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Lindsey Graham, incumbent U.S. senator (2003–2026)[8][9] (deceased)[7]
Eliminated in primary
Did not file
Withdrawn
- André Bauer, former lieutenant governor of South Carolina (2003–2011), candidate for governor in 2010, and candidate for South Carolina's 7th congressional district in 2012[16]
- Paul Dans, former Office of Personnel Management chief of staff (2020) and Project 2025 architect (endorsed Lynch)[17]
- Ethan Holliman, graduate student[18][19]
Declined
- Ralph Norman, U.S. representative from South Carolina's 5th congressional district (2017–present) (running for governor)[20]
- Mark Sanford, former governor of South Carolina (2003–2011), U.S. representative from South Carolina's 1st congressional district (1995–2001, 2013–2019), and candidate for president in 2020[21] (ran for U.S. House)[22]
Endorsements
- Executive branch officials
- Ben Carson, former secretary of housing and urban development (2017–2021)[23]
- Donald Trump, president of the United States (2017–2021, 2025–present)[24]
- U.S. senators
- Tim Scott, South Carolina (2013–present)[25]
- Statewide officials
- Henry McMaster, governor of South Carolina (2017–present)[25]
- Organizations
- Executive branch officials
- Gregory Bovino, former Commander-at-large of US Border Patrol (2025–2026)[29]
- Michael Flynn, former national security advisor (2017)[30]
- Joe Kent, former director of the National Counterterrorism Center (2025–2026)[31]
- Individuals
- Paul Dans, former Office of Personnel Management chief of staff (2020) and Project 2025 architect[17]
- Individuals
- Tucker Carlson, conservative political commentator[32]
Fundraising
| Campaign finance reports as of March 31, 2026 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
| Thomas Dismukes (R) | $14,935 | $13,125 | $1,810 |
| Lindsey Graham (R) | $20,688,173 | $21,566,021 | $11,613,609 |
| Ethan Holliman (R) | $20,270 | $20,270 | $0 |
| Mark Lynch (R) | $5,726,191 | $2,398,855 | $3,327,336 |
| Paul Dans (R) | $1,011,421 | $565,237 | $446,184 |
| Source: Federal Election Commission[33] | |||
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Paul Dans |
Lindsey Graham |
Mark Lynch |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trafalgar Group (R)[34] | June 5–7, 2026 | 1,200 (LV) | ± 2.9% | – | 49% | 29% | 11%[b] | 11% |
| InsiderAdvantage (R)[35] | June 5–6, 2026 | 800 (LV) | ± 3.5% | – | 51% | 21% | 10% | 18% |
| The Public Sentiment Institute[36] | June 3–4, 2026 | 388 (LV) | ± 5.0% | – | 51% | 26% | 18%[c] | 4% |
| The Citadel[37] | May 21–31, 2026 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.5% | – | 46% | 36% | – | 18% |
| Trafalgar Group (R)[38] | May 21–24, 2026 | 1,125 (LV) | ± 2.9% | – | 52% | 28% | 12%[d] | 8% |
| InsiderAdvantage (R)[39] | May 13–14, 2026 | 800 (LV) | ± 3.5% | – | 56% | 13% | 8%[e] | 23% |
| Dans withdraws from the race | ||||||||
| Pulse Opinion Research (R)[40][A] | March 11–17, 2026 | 1,000 (LV) | ± 3.1% | 11% | 41% | 21% | – | 22% |
| Quantus Insights (R)[41][B] | October 1–4, 2025 | 600 (RV) | ± 4.2% | 7%[f] | 58% | 15% | – | 20% |
| 6% | 51% | 11% | – | 32% | ||||
| Big Data Poll (R)[42][C] | September 26–29, 2025 | 827 (RV) | ± 3.5% | 22% | 46% | 4% | – | 28% |
| Quantus Insights (R)[43][44][B] | June 10–13, 2025 | 600 (RV) | ± 3.8% | – | 48% | 23% | – | 29% |
| Big Data Poll (R)[42][C] | June 8–11, 2025 | – (V) | ± 3.5% | 9% | 50% | 11% | – | 30% |
| Pulse Opinion Research (R)[45][A] | May 15–21, 2025 | 1,062 (LV) | – | – | 43% | 29% | 5% | 23% |
Results
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 40–50%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lindsey Graham | 264,091 | 56.8 | |
| Republican | Mark Lynch | 134,360 | 28.9 | |
| Republican | Thomas Dismukes | 24,164 | 5.2 | |
| Republican | Pat Herrmann | 17,448 | 3.8 | |
| Republican | Calvin Cowen | 14,171 | 3.0 | |
| Republican | Darius Mitchell | 10,842 | 2.3 | |
| Total votes | 465,076 | 100.0 | ||
Special Republican primary
Graham died on July 11, 2026. Per South Carolina law, a fast-tracked special primary election will be held to replace Graham on the ballot.[46][47] South Carolina Code of Laws Section 7-11-55:[48]
"If a party nominee dies, becomes disqualified after his nomination, or resigns his candidacy for a legitimate nonpolitical reason as defined in Section 7-11-50 and was selected through a party primary election, the vacancy must be filled in a special primary election to be conducted as provided in this section. The filing period for this special primary election opens the second Tuesday after the death, disqualification, or approval of the resignation for one week. The special primary election then must be conducted on the second Tuesday immediately following the close of the filing period. A runoff, if necessary, must be held two weeks after the first primary. The nomination must be certified not less than two weeks before the date of the general election. If the nomination is certified two weeks or more before the date of the general election, that office is to be filled at the general election."
Candidates
Potential
- Nancy Mace, U.S. representative from South Carolina's 1st congressional district (2021–present)
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Annie Andrews, pediatrician and nominee for South Carolina's 1st congressional district in 2022[49][9]
Eliminated in primary
- Brandon Brown, former senior vice president of institutional advancement at Paine College and nominee for South Carolina's 4th congressional district in 2004 and 2018[50][9]
- Catherine Fleming Bruce, author and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2022 (write-in)[51][52]
- Kyle Freeman, logistics professional[53][9]
Did not file
Withdrawn
- Lee Johnson, engineer[55]
Endorsements
- Individuals
- Jaime Harrison, former chair of the Democratic National Committee (2021–2025)[56]
- Organizations
State legislators
- JA Moore, state representative from the 15th district (2018–present)[61]
- Michael Rivers, state representative from the 121st district (2016–present)[61]
Fundraising
| Campaign finance reports as of March 31, 2026 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
| Annie Andrews (D) | $6,519,296 | $3,880,008 | $2,639,287 |
| Catherine Fleming Bruce (D)[note 1] | $0 | $0 | $5,030 |
| Kyle Freeman (D) | $53,475 | $52,239 | $1,236 |
| Brandon Brown (D) | $69,569 | $20,369 | $40,709 |
| Source: Federal Election Commission[33] | |||
- As of April 20, 2026, latest FEC report is for the quarter ending September 30, 2025.
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Annie Andrews |
Brandon Brown |
Kyle Freeman |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Citadel[37] | May 21–31, 2026 | 427 (LV) | ± 4.7% | 45% | 14% | 5% | 36% |
Results
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Annie Andrews | 226,075 | 61.5 | |
| Democratic | Brandon Brown | 110,962 | 30.2 | |
| Democratic | Kyle Freeman | 30,374 | 8.3 | |
| Total votes | 367,411 | 100.0 | ||
Libertarian primary
Constitution primary
Independents
General election
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Inside Elections[68] | Likely R | April 23, 2026 |
| Race to the WH[69] | Safe R | May 22, 2026 |
| RealClearPolitics[70] | Likely R | May 19, 2026 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[71] | Safe R | March 4, 2026 |
| The Cook Political Report[72] | Solid R | April 13, 2026 |
| The Economist[73][g] | Lean R | May 22, 2026 |
Fundraising
| Campaign finance reports as of May 20, 2026 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
| Lindsey Graham (R) † | $20,916,691 | $29,180,380 | $4,227,769 |
| Annie Andrews (D) | $8,059,705 | $5,194,396 | $2,865,309 |
| Source: Federal Election Commission[74] | |||
Polling
Lindsey Graham vs. Annie Andrews
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Lindsey Graham (R) |
Annie Andrews (D) |
Undecided | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graham dies | ||||||||
| Impact Research (D)[75][D] | June 17–22, 2026 | 700 (LV) | ± 3.7% | 48% | 45% | 7% | ||
| Impact Research (D)[76][D] | February 25 – March 1, 2026 | 700 (LV) | ± 3.7% | 47% | 42% | 11% | ||
| Public Policy Polling (D)[77][E] | November 21–22, 2025 | 704 (V) | ± 3.7% | 42% | 36% | 22% | ||
Lindsey Graham vs. Generic Democrat
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Lindsey Graham (R) |
Generic Democrat |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling (D)[77][E] | November 21–22, 2025 | 704 (V) | ± 3.7% | 41% | 39% | 20% |
Notes
- Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
V – unclear - Thomas Dismukes with 4%; Darius Mitchell & Patrick Herrmann with 3%; Calvin Cowen with 1%
- Thomas Dismukes with 7%; Patrick Herrmann with 5%; Darius Mitchell with 4%; Calvin Cowen with 2%
- Darius Mitchell with 4%; Thomas Dismukes & Patrick Herrmann with 3%; Calvin Cowen with 2%
- Calvin Cowen with 3%; Thomas Dismukes & Darius Mitchell with 2%; Patrick Herrmann with 1%
- With voters who lean towards a given candidate
- The Economist's prediction model uses unconventional terminology. For the purpose of equivalency, their "Very Likely" ratings are formatted as a "Likely" rating while "Likely" ratings are formatted as a "Lean" rating.
Partisan clients