Race begins to fill South Carolina Senate Seat after Lindsey Graham's death

WASHINGTON, DC: After the sudden death of South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, the race to find his replacement is expected to begin relatively fast, given the fact that he had already won the Republican nomination early this year and was running for reelection.

The staunch Trump ally, who died a sudden death on Saturday, July 11, evening, was elected to the US Senate in 2003 after serving in the US House of Representatives.

How will Graham's temporary replacement be chosen

Before Graham’s permanent replacement takes charge with a proper election, South Carolina’s Governor has the right to choose a temporary replacement.

The option to choose Graham’s temporary replacement is not confined only to Republicans, as South Carolina law allows the governor to choose anyone who fulfills the legal requirement.

Graham was running for reelection and had already won the Republican nomination before his death. South Carolina Republicans must now hold a special primary to select a new Senate nominee, according to FOX Carolina. Candidates could begin filing as early as July 21.

The special Republican runoff must be held before August 11. If none of the candidates are able to secure decisive votes, a runoff election will be held two weeks later.

Ultimately, the GOP nominee will enter the final battle, the general election, against the Democratic candidate from South Carolina, Dr Annie Andrews, in November.

Democratic candidate Dr Annie Andrews expressed sympathy to Graham's family after his death. She said her condolences were with Graham's family, friends, staff and everyone mourning his death, as per the statement by Annie Andrews.

South Carolina seat cant be kept vacant till general elections

The US Constitution requires the vacant Senate seat to be filled but ‘How’ of the process falls under the authority of the state. Every state decides on the process as per its law.

In 46 US states, governors can appoint a temporary senator until voters elect someone permanently.

Kentucky, North Dakota, Rhode Island and Wisconsin are the four states that do not allow temporary appointments and instead wait for a special election. Finding a worthy replacement who can serve the region for the rest of the senate term is a must.

Who could replace Graham in South Carolina?

While no official statement has been made, President Trump indicated that he knows who will replace Lindsey Graham. However, he has refused to reveal the name.

“I have somebody that I think would be great, but I don’t want to say it now because it just, you know, it’s too soon with Lindsey,” Trump told NBC’s 'Meet the Press'.

“They’ll have some people joining. Some are good, some are bad,” he said. “I never thought I’d be in this position. I thought Lindsey was going to be living forever … He was going to win by a lot.”