Darline Graham Enters Aug. 11 Senate Primary With Trump's Backing

Q: Why can a governor appoint a senator in one state but not in another?

A governor can appoint a U.S. senator only if that state’s legislature has given the governor that power under the Seventeenth Amendment. The Constitution requires that a Senate vacancy ultimately be filled by election, but it also says a state legislature may empower its governor to make a temporary appointment until voters choose a replacement. That means the appointment power is optional, not automatic, and states can write different rules. South Carolina is one of the states that allows a temporary gubernatorial appointment. That is why Gov. Henry McMaster could appoint Darline Graham Nordone after Lindsey Graham’s death, with a special election still scheduled to let voters choose who serves the rest of the term. Other states have chosen a different system. Kentucky, for example, changed its law in 2024 so a Senate vacancy must be filled only by special election, with no interim appointment. A few other states also withhold that power from governors, while some states allow appointments but add conditions, such as requiring the appointee to come from the same political party as the departing senator. So the difference is not federal favoritism or a different constitutional rule for each state. It is a state-by-state legal choice made under the same constitutional framework: every state must hold an election, but each state decides whether its governor may temporarily fill the seat in the meantime.

3 articles · Updated · Washington Examiner · Jul 21

Darline Graham said she will seek the full six-year South Carolina Senate term, turning what was presented as a six-month caretaker appointment into a campaign through November.
Trump's public encouragement helped drive the shift after Gov. Henry McMaster tapped her less than 48 hours after Lindsey Graham's death to finish the remainder of his term.
Graham has signaled a different emphasis from her brother, telling Fox News she is focused on grocery prices, gas, healthcare and insurance as much as border security and national security.
Her entry scrambles a compressed Republican contest against Reps. Ralph Norman and Russell Fry and businessman Mark Lynch, with the special primary set for Aug. 11 after Lindsey Graham's funeral next week.
The race now turns on a candidate many voters barely know: Graham has led South Carolina's Commission for the Blind since 2019 but has never held elected office.