By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-07-20 15:26:55 | Updated at 2026-08-09 06:31:31
2 weeks ago
Top Trump ally Congressman Russell Fry declared that he will run in the special primary election to replace Senator Lindsey Graham after his unexpected passing earlier this month.
But his announcement may cause issues with the President, who stated last week that he wishes to see Graham's beloved sister Darline Graham Nordone, run for a full term.
And if Fry, 41, is successful in clinching the Senate nomination, it could also put control of the House in jeopardy.
Fry is already on the ballot in November as he runs for reelection to his US House seat. He ran unopposed in the primary last month.
If he does indeed give up his reelection race for Senate aspirations, it could impact House Speaker Mike Johnson's very slim majority as he'd vacate his safe seat.
Fry's GOP colleague, Congressman Ralph Norman, who failed in his bid for South Carolina governor, announced his entry into the race for Graham's seat last week. Outgoing Congresswoman and GOP firebrand Nancy Mace is also teasing a run.
In a Friday statement on Truth Social, the President revealed that he personally asked Nordone during a visit to the White House this week to enter the Republican special primary, calling her 'a spectacular person' and 'a true American patriot.'
Lindsey Graham (who died earlier this month) spoke during a Trump campaign rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, in March 2020
Darline Graham Nordone, Graham's sister, smiled after her swearing-in to temporarily fill his vacant seat last week
If Fry, 41, is successful in clinching the Senate nomination, it could also put control of the House in jeopardy. He's pictured here at a victory celebration in 2022
Donald Trump spoke at a campaign event with Fry (far left) and late Senator Lindsey Graham
'I asked Darline, for the good of our nation, to run for the U.S. Senate,' Trump wrote before ending his message with the emphatic rallying cry: 'RUN, DARLINE, RUN!'
Trump also promised Nordone his 'complete and total endorsement' should she decide to enter the race, saying there would be 'nobody better' to honor her brother's legacy.
Trump's decision to back Nordone was an attempt to take control, putting Mace,Fry, and others in their place.
Mace, who also lost in the gubernatorial primary last month, was one person who expressed her disappointment at Fry's entry into the race.
'If you're running for two offices at once, you've already told us who you are. That's not about politics anymore - that's about power. You're either with the people you serve or you're not,' Mace wrote on X.
Following Graham's death, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster appointed Nordone to fill the remainder of the Senate term.
Graham was very close to his sister. She was by his side in 2015 when he announced his presidential run
Nordone with family members after being sworn in to fill her brother's vacant Senate seat last week
'Today, under the law, it is my duty and honor to name someone to serve in the place of this extraordinary man for the remainder of his term. It is my honor to ask his little sister, Darline, to finish his work,' McMaster noted last week.
Nordone responded to Trump's nod, saying she was honored to have the chance to serve and carry on her brother's work, but did not announce she was definitely running for the job.
Mace also noted in her X post that 'a sitting House member who wins the South Carolina Senate in November vacates his Republican House seat until next May.'
'That narrows an already razor-thin majority and puts the Speaker's gavel in play. I will never hand [Democratic Leader] Hakeem Jeffries that gift. This is an escalation that harms our country, our state, and our values at such an important time in our nation's history,' Mace concluded.
Fry won his House seat in 2024 with 64.9 percent of the vote.
The special election to replace Graham in the Senate is set to take place on August 11.
