美国南卡罗来纳州共和党将于周二举行特殊初选，以选出已故参议员林赛·格拉汉姆的继任者[1]。格拉汉姆于7月11日去世，州长亨利·麦克马斯特随后任命其妹妹达琳·格拉汉姆为临时参议员[1]。该初选共有10名候选人参与竞争[1]，主要竞争者包括众议员罗素·弗里、众议员拉尔夫·诺曼、前州长马克·桑福德、商人马克·林奇和现任临时参议员达琳·格拉汉姆[1]。前总统特朗普已对达琳·格拉汉姆表示支持[1]。
若初选中无候选人获得绝对多数票，得票最多的前两名将进入8月25日举行的决选[1]。最终获胜者将在11月大选中对阵民主党提名人、儿科医生安妮·安德鲁斯[1]。南卡州共和党官员表示，"南卡政治与众不同……这里的每个人都具有独立精神"[1]。
South Carolina Republicans will vote Tuesday in a special primary election to determine who will succeed late Senator Lindsey Graham in the U.S. Senate.[1] Graham died on July 11, after which Governor Henry McMaster appointed his sister, Darline Graham, as interim senator.[1] The interim appointment has made Darline Graham a candidate in the race alongside nine other contenders.[1]
If no candidate secures an outright majority in Tuesday's vote, the top two finishers will advance to a runoff scheduled for August 25.[1] The field includes Russell Fry and Ralph Norman, both current members of the House of Representatives, as well as former South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, businessman Mark Lynch, and the interim senator herself.[1] The winner of the primary or runoff will face Democrat Annie Andrews, a pediatrician, in November's general election.[1] Former President Trump has endorsed Darline Graham in the contest.[1]
According to South Carolina Republican officials, the state's political landscape is marked by fierce independence among voters. "South Carolina politics is different," they observed. "Everybody here is fiercely independent."[1]