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by WILL FOLKS
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Voting in South Carolina’s 2026 special primary election for the United States Senate will exclude anyone who cast a ballot in either the Democrat primary or runoff election last month, Palmetto State election officials announced this week.
While that’s not a true closed primary, it does mean hundreds of thousands of the most motivated Democrat voters in South Carolina will be barred from crossing over and meddling in a hastily scheduled special election to fill the late Lindsey Graham‘s spot on the fall ballot.
The eligibility criteria were announced on Wednesday morning (July 15, 2026) by officials with the S.C. Election Commission (SCVotes).
Graham died suddenly in Washington, D.C. late Saturday (July 11, 2026), prompting a special primary election to be scheduled next month for the purpose of choosing a new Republican nominee for this seat. That election is expected to be decisive considering Democrats haven’t won a U.S. Senate election in South Carolina since 1998.
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Congressman Ralph Norman, Upstate businessman Mark Lynch, congresswoman Nancy Mace, lieutenant governor Pamela Evette and former governor Mark Sanford are among those eyeing this seat – which is temporarily being filled by Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone.
Unhappy with these options, White House officials have been pushing coastal congressman Russell Fry to enter the fray, but there are legitimate questions as to whether he is eligible to do so. Even if he is determined to be eligible, Fry would have to relinquish his seat in the U.S. House next January should he win – which could create serious consequences as it relates to the balance of power in that chamber.
Be on the lookout for a separate story related to these deliberations… and how another member of the Palmetto State’s congressional delegation is addressing them.
In the meantime, filing for the August 11 special primary election is set to open at 12:00 p.m. EDT next Tuesday (July 21, 2026) and close a week later (July 28, 2026).
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RELATED | SPECIAL ELECTION DATES SET
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If no candidate receives a majority of votes on August 11, a special head-to-head runoff election would be held on August 25, 2026 between the top two vote getters.
While these dates have been formalized and announced by SCVotes, questions are already being raised about the legality of the election – questions likely to be amplified now that the agency has issued eligibility restrictions.
Sources familiar with the situation say U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) officials have already been in communication with SCVotes officials about the timing of the upcoming special primary – which is controlled by the S.C. Code of Laws (§ 7-11-55).
Yesterday, we noted DOJ was reportedly reviewing “four distinct violations of federal law” related to the August 11 primary. It’s unclear whether these alleged violations have been addressed to the satisfaction of the feds, but we will be keeping a close eye on the status of those discussions as the primary moves forward.
Whatever happens, it’s likely any number of potential disputes tied to this special primary will wind up in litigation… and potentially impact existing litigation between the South Carolina Republican Party and SCVotes over whether partisan primaries in the Palmetto State ought to be closed to begin with.
BANNER VIA: GETTY IMAGES
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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