NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Sen. Lindsey Graham\u2019s, R-S.C., sudden death from an undisclosed illness has triggered a two-pronged approach to replace him, and President Donald Trump will likely be a focal point in the process.<\/p>\n Graham’s passing overnight comes at a time when Republicans in the upper chamber need every vote they can get. The Senate GOP now holds a 52-seat majority, and with the timetable for Sen. Mitch McConnell\u2019s, R-Ky., absence still unclear, that majority is now effectively 51 votes.<\/p>\n That will up the pressure, and drama, to find a replacement for the longtime South Carolina lawmaker.<\/p>\n LINDSEY GRAHAM, SOUTH CAROLINA SENATOR WHO ROSE FROM SMALL-TOWN ROOTS TO GOP POWER BROKER, DIES AT 71<\/strong><\/p>\n Sen. Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, speaks with reporters aboard Air Force One with President Donald Trump and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on the way back to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 4, 2026.<\/span> (Jim Watson\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Trump, during an appearance on NBC\u2019s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, said, “I have somebody that I think would be great.”<\/p>\n “But I don\u2019t want to say it now because it\u2019s just, it\u2019s too soon with Lindsey,” Trump said. “I don\u2019t wanna even talk about anybody, but I do have somebody that I think is really good.”<\/p>\n It\u2019s a process guided by the Constitution and state law. The first step will require South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, a Republican, to appoint a replacement for Graham on a temporary basis.<\/p>\n McMaster, a close ally of Trump, can appoint a temporary replacement as soon as he wants. That pick will serve until the next special or general election.<\/p>\n MCCONNELL FACES FRESH CALLS TO COME CLEAN ABOUT HEALTH ISSUES<\/strong><\/p>\n Fox News Digital did not immediately hear back from McMaster\u2019s office on when he would make the announcement, or who he was considering for the seat.<\/p>\n Graham was already in-cycle running for a fifth term in the upper chamber, and he easily cruised to a primary victory early last month. That means that whoever McMaster taps would serve until the end of the year to finish off the remainder of Graham\u2019s fourth term.<\/p>\n The second prong is finding his long-term successor.<\/p>\n The candidate filing period for that special election to win the GOP nomination opens July 21. The election is slated for Aug. 11, according to South Carolina law.<\/p>\n That race could see several familiar faces in South Carolina GOP politics jumping in, including McMaster himself, who is termed out as governor.<\/p>\n TRUMP\u2019S ENDORSEMENT POWER FACES ANOTHER GOP TEST IN SOUTH CAROLINA AFTER ALAN WILSON ADVANCES<\/strong><\/p>\n Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., departs the U.S. Capitol after a series of House votes on funding for Homeland Security and a War Powers resolution on Iran on March 5, 2026, in Washington, D.C.<\/span> (Andrew Harnik\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Trump heaped praise on McMaster, noting that he endorsed his first bid for the White House in 2016.<\/p>\n “Henry\u2019s been a great governor, you know now he\u2019s termed out, but he\u2019s going to do the right thing,” Trump said. “I think Henry will be fantastic.”<\/p>\n There are six members of South Carolina\u2019s GOP congressional delegation who could toss their hats into the mix. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., who recently lost a bid for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, is eyeing jumping into the special election.<\/p>\n A person familiar with Mace’s plans told Fox News Digital, “Congresswoman Mace is considering a bid to run.”<\/p>\n Then there\u2019s Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., the longest-serving Republican member of the Palmetto State\u2019s delegation. He quickly snuffed speculation about whether he\u2019d leap into the fray.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/p>\n “I was grateful to speak with President Trump today reminiscing about our mutual friend, Senator Lindsey Graham,” Wilson said on X. “I assured him my goal is to remain in the House to keep his two-vote majority for the American people!!!”<\/p>\n Then there\u2019s the remaining four: South Carolina Republican Reps. Ralph Norman, who also lost out on scoring the GOP nomination for governor, Russell Fry, William Timmons and Sheri Biggs, none of whom, so far, have signaled that they would jump into the battle for Graham’s seat.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Pamela Evette, who Trump endorsed in the governor\u2019s race but ultimately lost to GOP nominee and South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, could also be in the mix.<\/p>\n Fox News Digital did not immediately receive responses to requests for comment from each possible contender.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"Lindsey](\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1200\/675\/Senator-Lindsey-Graham-Trump-succession.jpg?ve=1&tl=1\")
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