Anti-Trans Rep. Nancy Mace Eyes Lindsey Graham’s Senate Seat
Mace is reportedly weighing a Senate bid weeks after finishing fifth in South Carolina's Republican gubernatorial primary.
U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), one of the transgender community’s fiercest opponents, is reportedly considering a bid for the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the sudden death of Sen. Lindsey Graham on Saturday, July 11.
Graham, 71, spent 31 years in Congress, serving four terms in the U.S. House before winning four terms in the Senate. He developed a reputation as one of the Republican Party’s most hawkish voices on foreign policy, consistently advocating for U.S. military intervention abroad and a strong military presence overseas.
According to a statement from his congressional office, Graham died from an aortic dissection caused by arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, a condition in which plaque buildup hardens and narrows the arteries, restricting blood flow and increasing the risk of heart attack or stroke.
Graham had been seeking a fifth Senate term after handily winning the June 9 Republican primary with nearly 57% of the vote. He was set to face Democrat Annie Andrews, a physician, along with several independent and third-party candidates in November.
On July 13, President Donald Trump urged South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster to appoint Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, as the interim replacement, writing in a Truth Social post that her appointment “would be a fabulous tribute” to her brother. McMaster later complied with Trump’s suggestion, appointing Nordone to serve the remainder of Graham’s term through Jan. 3.
The state will hold a special Republican primary later this summer to choose the party’s nominee for a full six-year Senate term. The filing deadline is July 21. The special primary will be held Aug. 11, with an Aug. 25 runoff if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote.
Both Mace and U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson have expressed interest in running for a full six-year Senate term. But both rejected being named interim replacements because leaving their House seats would shrink Republicans’ narrow two-seat majority and could derail parts of Trump’s legislative agenda.
“I was grateful to speak with President Trump today, reminiscing about our mutual friend, Senator Lindsey Graham,” Wilson wrote in a post to X before Nordone’s appointment. “I assured him my goal is to remain in the House to keep his two-vote majority for the American people!!!”
According to Charlotte NBC affiliate WCNC, Mace said she had spoken with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) about Republicans’ precarious House majority.
“We can’t afford to lose any seats in the House,” she said. “I’m not pursuing it, I’m told that Joe Wilson’s not pursuing it, that interim appointment, because we need every vote that we have in the House for the president, as it stands today.”
Mace — who finished fifth in the June 9 Republican gubernatorial primary — is expected to conduct polling soon to gauge her strength as a Senate candidate.
A person familiar with Mace’s thinking told Punchbowl News simply: “YOLO” — a reference to the phrase “You Only Live Once,” suggesting she will ultimately enter the race.
Having given up her House seat to run for governor, Mace fueled speculation about a Senate bid by posting a clip from The Godfather Part III to X on July 12, quoting the film: “Just when I thought I was out… they pull me back in…”
Mace initially cultivated a reputation as a moderate Republican representing a suburban swing district near Charleston and occasionally broke with Trump. But after the 2022 redistricting cycle added more Republican territory to her district, she shifted sharply to the right.
The congresswoman has been especially outspoken on transgender issues, frequently portraying transgender people and their allies as mentally ill, violent, and part of a “cult.” She regularly accuses trans women of violating women’s privacy and has repeatedly targeted fellow Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.), the first out transgender member of Congress, even urging Johnson to bar McBride from using women’s restrooms.
But Mace also angered Trump by signing a discharge petition to force a vote requiring the U.S. Department of Justice to release files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — a move she claims cost her Trump’s support in the gubernatorial race.
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