Sen. Darline Graham Nordone (R-SC) announced Monday that she will seek a full U.S. Senate term following her appointment to complete the late Senator Lindsey Graham’s term.

“I have been praying a lot, talking to my family,” Graham stated. “I feel like I can do it. I feel an inner peace about it. Will it be difficult? Yes. Absolutely,” she added. “I’ve made a decision,” Graham said.

Graham has never held public office and previously worked to help people with disabilities find employment. The filing period for the seat begins Tuesday and closes July 28, with South Carolinians voting in an August 11 special Republican primary. The winner will face Democrat nominee Annie Andrews in November.

Rep. Ralph Norman confirmed Saturday that he entered the race, while Republican Rep. Russell Fry announced Monday that he is also running.

President Trump recently endorsed Graham in a letter urging her to run for the U.S. Senate: “During her visit, I asked Darline, for the Good of our Nation, to run for the U.S. Senate in the Special Republican Primary on Tuesday, August 11, 2026.”

Graham was sworn into the Senate seat last Tuesday after South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed her to finish out her late brother’s term, which ends in early January. Lindsey Graham died July 11 at age 71 from a ruptured aorta due to hardening of his arteries. Graham’s funeral services are scheduled for July 28 in Washington, D.C., and July 29 in South Carolina.