South Carolina voters will cast ballots Tuesday, Aug. 25, in a Republican runoff to fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham. The runoff follows a special primary held on Aug. 11 that failed to produce a majority winner.
Candidates and results so far
Incumbent Sen. Darline Graham, who was appointed to complete her brother’s term, led the Aug. 11 primary with roughly 33% of the vote. Rep. Ralph Norman, a five‑term congressman who previously ran for governor, earned about 25%, while Rep. Russell Fry captured roughly 20%. Because no candidate reached the 50% threshold, Graham and Norman will face off in the runoff.
Graham’s strongest support came from central South Carolina, including the Columbia area and the Low Country region around Charleston, as well as counties along the Georgia border. Norman performed best in the Piedmont and Upcountry regions, notably the Greenville area, while Fry’s base was in the Pee Dee and Waccamaw counties he represents in Congress.
Endorsements and party backing
After the primary, Fry endorsed Graham. She also enjoys the backing of Sen. Tim Scott and former President Donald Trump, who held a rally with her in Myrtle Beach on Friday.
Voter eligibility and turnout
Only voters who did not participate in the June 9 Democratic primary may vote in Tuesday’s Republican runoff. South Carolina does not register voters by party, and as of Friday there were about 3.4 million registered voters in the state.
Turnout in the June 9 Republican primary was about 465,000 voters, while the Aug. 11 special primary saw roughly 336,000 participants. Early‑in‑person and mail voting accounted for about 19% of the Aug. 11 vote, and as of Friday about 45,000 ballots had already been cast for Tuesday’s election.
Counting process
Most counties release early‑voting results shortly after polls close at 7 p.m. ET. In the Aug. 11 primary, the Associated Press reported results within 13 minutes of poll closure and had over 99% of votes counted by 11:25 p.m. ET. The AP will declare a winner only when the remaining uncounted votes cannot change the outcome.
What’s at stake
The winner of Tuesday’s runoff will face Democratic nominee Annie Andrews, a pediatrician from Charleston who previously challenged Rep. Nancy Mace in 2022. Lindsey Graham last won re‑election in 2020 with 54% of the vote, and former President Trump carried the state with 58% in 2024.
South Carolina’s primary runoff is a key step toward the 2026 midterm elections, with 70 days remaining until voters head to the polls in November.
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.
