CHARLESTON, South Carolina — The death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, who was running for a fifth term when he died over the weekend, began a tumultuous new chapter in South Carolina politics during a year that has already been filled with turmoil.

As the conservative state’s senior senator and influential ally of President Donald Trump, Graham was presumed to be on the right path to re-election.

Now, Gov. Henry McMaster must choose a temporary replacement who can serve until January while the state also prepares a special primary so voters can choose a new Republican candidate for the general election.

The rare open Senate seat has sparked a fight among South Carolina’s most ambitious conservatives, who have been eager to climb the political ladder.

Republicans have just finished a long and bruising race to determine their nominee to succeed McMaster, who is concluding his second term. State Attorney General Alan Wilson won the nomination, beating a field that included Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, Rep. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman, who are now considering Graham’s job.

Under South Carolina law, a one-week filing period for a special primary election begins the second Tuesday after the candidate’s death, or July 21.

The special primary election would be held on the second Tuesday after the filing period closes, or August 11. Any necessary second round would be held two weeks later, or on August 25.

From that moment, the new candidate would have just over two months to campaign for the general elections on November 3.

All of this is problematic under federal law, which requires military and foreign ballots to be cast 45 days before any federal election. For the general primary election, that would have been June 27. Federal Election Commission officials did not immediately respond to a message seeking clarity on the process.

Graham died Saturday night and a preliminary medical examiner’s report said he suffered a tear to his aorta, known as an aortic dissection.

In the hours after Graham’s death was announced, South Carolina Republican circles were already abuzz with rumors about possible replacements. Given the proximity of the November election, it is likely that whoever McMaster appoints could be a leading contender in the special primary, although McMaster’s pick may only serve as a temporary interim.

Evette, who worked for nearly eight years alongside McMaster and received his endorsement in the gubernatorial race, is a possibility. He lost the June 23 runoff against Wilson.

A person familiar with Evette’s thinking but not authorized to discuss it publicly said she was receiving statewide support and feels she would have a good chance in the special primary.

It is unlikely that any House member will be appointed to finish Graham’s current term, as Republicans hold a razor-thin majority in the chamber.

U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, a rumored replacement, said he assured Trump on Sunday that “my goal is to remain in the House to maintain your two-vote majority for the American people!!!”

However, that doesn’t mean House members won’t run for the next full term. A person familiar with Mace’s thinking but not authorized to speak about it publicly said he was considering the race. Mace is not running for reelection to the House.

But another Republican from the state, Rep. Russell Fry, could be a possibility. The two-term lawmaker represents the growing area around Myrtle Beach and has been a top Trump ally.

A spokesman for businessman Mark Lynch, whom Graham defeated in the primary, did not return a message Sunday.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who lived in South Carolina before joining the Trump administration, has received calls about replacing Graham, but has no interest in the job and enjoys working for the president, according to a person who requested anonymity to describe private conversations.

No Democrat has won a Senate seat in South Carolina in decades, and Republicans in recent history often win state seats by double digits. The last time he ran in 2020, Graham defeated his Democratic opponent, Jaime Harrison, by a margin of 10 percentage points.

So while history suggests Graham was on track for a fifth term, Republicans are carefully examining the landscape.

Charleston pediatrician Annie Andrews won the Democratic nomination last month and has raised more than $8 million in the race, and had just under $3 million in cash on hand at the end of May, according to federal documents. Graham had received $6 million, with just over $4 million available.

In a statement Sunday, Andrews asked South Carolinians to join her “in putting aside partisanship and offering gratitude” to Graham for his service.

Noting that he and Graham “had our share of political disagreements,” Harrison wrote on social media that he “always appreciated that even in our fiercest political battles, we could still share a conversation, a laugh, and a mutual respect for South Carolina and the institutions we were both privileged to serve.”

Graham leaves a gaping hole in the Senate, where seniority can determine influence. He served more than two decades in the House, positioning himself to lead committees and set the agenda.

Senator Tim Scott, South Carolina’s junior senator, has only been in office since 2012, a short period by the state’s standards. Fritz Hollings served for 38 years and Strom Thurmond was there for 47.

Scott, who co-chaired Graham’s re-election effort, described his former colleague as “irreplaceable.”

“America lost a statesman, but I lost a friend,” he told ABC’s “This Week.”

___

Associated Press writer Fatima Hussein in Washington contributed to this report.

___

You can contact Kinnard at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP