SerpApi.Org
Sen. Darline Graham, who's serving out the remainder of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham's term in the Senate, said she will seek a full term for the South Carolina seat her brother held for more than two decades.
"I've made a decision. I'm in," Graham told Fox News anchor Sean Hannity on July 20.
Graham's decision comes days after she received a major endorsement from President Donald Trump as she pondered replacing her older brother, who died July 11.
Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning.
"RUN, DARLINE, RUN!" Trump said in a July 17 Truth Social post. Graham, 62, "has been a WINNER all of her life and, should she accept, has my Complete and Total Endorsement," the president wrote.
Last month, Lindsey Graham, the longtime senator, prevailed over five primary challengers. Now there will be a special primary election on Aug. 11. Republican candidates must file by July 28 to appear on the ballot. The winner will take on Democrat Annie Andrews in November's midterm election.
The first woman to represent South Carolina in the U.S. Senate, Graham told Hannity in an interview that she has been discussing with loved ones her decision to run for a full, six-year Senate term.
"I’ve been praying a lot, talking to my family. But with the love of my family, with the support of his staff, I know I’m a hard worker. I learned that from Lindsey. He cared about the people of this state," Graham said. "I’ve worked for almost 30 years for the people of this state. I feel like I can do it. I feel an inner peace about it.
"Will it be difficult?" Graham continued. "Yes, absolutely."
Nancy Mace makes a decision
Other Republican candidates who have announced plans to run in the Aug. 11 Republican primary include South Carolina Reps. Russell Fry and Ralph Norman and South Carolina businessman Mark Lynch, who lost to Lindsey Graham in the June Republican primary.
Rep. Nancy Mace said in a July 21 social media post that she's not running for the seat. Mace, who finished last in South Carolina's five-way gubernatorial primary last month, had hinted at running for it in the wake of Graham's death earlier in July.
Initially seen as a placeholder for her brother's seat, Graham has impressed her Senate colleagues.
"She’ll be a principled conservative leader and a strong advocate for South Carolina families," Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, said in a July 21 social media post. "She has my full support."
"Why not her?" Graham's South Carolina counterpart, Sen. Tim Scott, said when asked about a potential run. Scott escorted Graham during her swearing-in ceremony on July 14 at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.
President Trump endorses Darline Graham
The president said in his July 17 Truth Social post that he had given his "complete and total endorsement" to Graham.
"I hope Darline does this, in that there would be nobody better to honor the legacy of her beloved brother, Lindsey," Trump wrote.
When Graham accepted her appointment to fill her brother’s Senate seat last week, she recalled their close relationship. Her brother adopted her after they lost both of their parents 15 months apart during her childhood.
"Lindsey has always been there for me," Graham said. "And now I will be there for him."
Graham is a married mother of two adult children and a grandmother of one who spent most of her professional career in disability services and workforce development.
Contributing: Jay Stahl
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sen. Darline Graham running to keep brother's seat after Trump endorses
