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The Republican Party in charge of funding and supporting Senate candidates has two candidates in mind to replace Sen. Lindsey Graham, RS.C.
Sen. Tim Scott, RS.C., has been fielding calls from former and current members of Congress interested in entering the August 11 special election to replace the late lawmaker, but only one has been calling regularly: former Rep. Trey Gowdy, RS.C.
Scott said during a memorial service for his colleague Graham on Wednesday, “You’re probably going to be surprised to hear this, but I have a relationship with Trey Gowdy.
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Sen. Tim Scott, RS.C., has been trying to hire former Rep. Trey Gowdy, RS.C., to run for the seat of Sen. The late Lindsey Graham. Scott said Gowdy will be the CEO, but so far he has not resigned. (Photos by James Devaney/GC)
“Trey is going to be an amazing congressman in South Carolina. I’m not sure if, as he says, he can afford alimony or a cut in salary,” Scott said. “But I would like to see him. He is married and happy.”
Gowdy served in the House for eight years, choosing to retire from the lower chamber in 2019 after making a name for himself leading the House Select Committee on Benghazi, where he impeached Secretary of State Hillary Clinton over the 2012 terrorist attack in Libya that killed four Americans. He has become the host of Fox News.
Scott believed that Gowdy could easily fit into the role because of his years of experience in Congress, and noted that he shared the same areas of expertise as Graham, due to his past as a prosecutor and his foreign policy expertise.
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And he could easily step into the Senate Judiciary Committee, where Graham was expected to chair next year, to negotiate and help select a Supreme Court Justice should retirements drop significantly in the near future.
“I think he would make a great representative,” Scott said. “I think that is undeniably true.”
“I can’t think of a better person, I think, to represent the heart of South Carolina than Trey Gowdy,” Scott said. “However, he has made it clear that he is not looking for a job, he is asking for a job. I am trying to motivate him, but we will see if that will be successful.”
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Rep. Russell Fry, RS.C., arrives at the House Republican Conference caucus meeting at the Capitol Hill Club in Washington on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
However, he admitted that there are others who may attract the attention of President Donald Trump, who may have a major role in influencing Graham’s successor.
“The president’s enthusiasm for Russell Fry is probably no surprise to anyone,” Scott said. “But I’ve never seen or heard of an endorsement yet to come out of the White House.”
Trump suggested that Rep. Russell Fry, RS.C., whom he nominated to run for the position four years ago, would be someone to watch in the special election. And Fry has been in contact with the White House about jumping into the race.
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But there is also another person, in Scott’s opinion, who could be almost suitable to replace Graham: his sister, Sen. Darline Graham, RS.C., who was appointed to fill the remainder of her brother’s term.
“I think the truth of the matter is that Darline has had an excellent start so far,” he said. “Why not to him, that would be my question.”
