Russell Fry

COLUMBIA — Myrtle Beach-area U.S. Rep. Russell Fry is entering the increasingly crowded Republican primary to replace the late Sen. Lindsey Graham despite lacking the endorsement of President Donald Trump, with whom Fry has been closely aligned during his first four years in Congress.

In a statement posted to his social media July 20, the second term Republican and former member of the S.C. House of Representatives characterized himself as the “conservative MAGA candidate” for the Aug. 11 special primary to replace Graham following his fatal aortic tear.

He will do so despite lacking the support of Trump, who last week issued a statement encouraging Graham’s sister — Darline Graham — to run for her brother’s seat after Gov. Henry McMaster appointed her to complete the final months of Graham’s six-year term.

“We need a conservative fighter in the Senate who delivers real results,” Fry said on social media.

Messages to Fry and his campaign team were not immediately returned Monday morning.

A growing field

Fry, a former House majority whip in the Statehouse, has been seen as a rising star in Congress, who has maintained close ties to the White House.

He served as president of his congressional freshman class after earning Trump’s endorsement in his successful bid to replace 7h District incumbent Republican Tom Rice after his vote to impeach Trump in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

He is also a formidable fundraiser, collecting $1.4 million in the last year despite not counting a serious challenger for re-election. As of June 30, Fry still had more than $1 million in cash on hand in his campaign accounts, which would likely make him competitive in the several-week sprint to follow after candidate filing formally opens July 21.

Several other candidates have already signaled their intention to run for the seat, including:

Congressman Ralph Norman, a recent candidate for governor. Norman currently has less than $100,000 in his federal accounts, but is independently wealthy and already bears statewide name recognition.

Mark Lynch, an upstate businessman and conservative activist who spent millions of his own fortune earlier this year in an unsuccessful attempt to unseat Graham. Lynch has pledged an additional $5 million to compete in the upcoming special election.

Duke Buckner, a perennial candidate for federal office from Walterboro who finished a distant fourth in a 2020 primary election against Graham.

Former Gov. Mark Sanford, a former congressman from the Lowcountry who flirted with a return to federal office earlier this year and has opened a U.S. Senate account.

Other potential candidates include outgoing U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace and Darline Graham herself, who is expected to make an announcement on her future sometime this week.

Can he do this?

While he would be qualified to run in the special primary for U.S. Senate, Fry is already the duly elected Republican nominee for his congressional seat covering the Grand Strand and into the Pee Dee. Though state law forbids lawmakers from holding two elected positions simultaneously, nothing in state law would prevent Fry from running both for Graham’s seat in the Senate as well as his current seat in Congress, where Republicans maintain a razor-thin majority over Democrats.

Such a move would have cascading effects.

If successful in his Senate bid, he would then likely resign his seat in Congress, prompting a special election in early 2027. Several prospective candidates — including current Myrtle Beach state Rep. Tim McGinnis — have already expressed interest in the seat.

But such a scenario would also likely mean Republicans would be short at least one seat to start the next Congress at a time Democrats are believed to have a strong opportunity to regain majorities in the House and Senate.

The election is Aug. 11, with a potential runoff scheduled Aug. 25.