Republicans defy Trump, jump into South Carolina Senate race despite his handpicked successor

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2026 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., officially announces his run for late Sen. Lindsey Graham's Senate seat during an interview with Kayleigh McEnany. President Donald Trump has made his pick to replace the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., but several Republicans eyeing his seat don’t care. A handful of hopefuls vying to win the Republican nomination in August to take the reins from Graham have already announced their intent to jump into the race, despite Trump throwing his endorsement power behind Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., Graham’s sister who many believed to be a placeholder for the remainder of his term. Trump on Friday, after meeting with Graham in the Oval Office, announced his "complete and total endorsement" for her to get into the race. TIM SCOTT SAYS HE'D 'LOVE TO SEE' FOX NEWS HOST REPLACE LINDSEY GRAHAM President Donald Trump addresses the nati