Replacing late Sen. Lindsey Graham could cost the GOP its House edge

Republicans scrambling to replace the late Sen.Lindsey Graham are facing an unexpected problem: Lawyers and candidates warn that if one of the state’s GOP House members wins the Senate seat, it would trigger a separate special election for that House seat and temporarily shrink the party’s razor-thin majority.Facing that prospect, President Trump late last month threw his support behind Darline Graham, the sister of his longtime friend who died suddenly July 11 at age 71.

But potential rivals had already laid plans to jump in the South Carolina race — and a dozen did just that, setting up an election sprint and an uncertain outcome.Trump said he asked Darline Graham to run “for the Good of our Nation,” saying there would be “nobody better to honor the legacy of her beloved brother, Lindsey.” But some state Republicans disagree, making the race the latest to test the power of Trump’s endorsement.The move did not deter Rep.Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), who had been expressing interest.

“She can be beaten even with [a] Trump endorsement,” said one South Carolina source, who said Norman had been out “begging” for Trump’s nod.Norman has a conservative voting record in line with much of Trump’s agenda, although he backed home-state Gov.Nikki Haley in the 2024 GOP presidential primary.

He now edges Darline Graham by less than a percentage point in the RealClearPolitics polling average.An Emerson poll released Thursday found Norman leading the Aug.11 Republican special primary with 22%, followed by Darline Graham at 19% — a result that would force an Aug.

25 runoff because no candidate would clear 50%.South Carolina allows people to run for House and Senate at the same time — although they can’t serve simultaneously in both jobs.So if a House member were to win the Senate seat, a special election would decide that person’s successor and leave House Republicans down one more lawmaker until May 2027 — with a narrow 218-212 majority already h...