美国资深参议员、共和党人林赛·格雷厄姆于周末因主动脉夹层去世 [1]。其去世后，南卡罗来纳州进入政治调整期，该州长期由共和党主导，此次选举结果将影响共和党在参议院的席位构成 [1]。根据联邦法律要求，军人与海外选民的选票需在选举日前 45 天发出，而当前制定的时间表可能与这一规定产生冲突 [1]。
南卡罗来纳州长亨利·麦克马斯特需任命一名临时继任者填补格雷厄姆留下的空缺 [1]。随后将启动特别初选程序以选出参加今年 11 月大选的共和党正式候选人 [1]。该州的特别初选报名期定于 7 月 21 日开始，初选本身将于 8 月 11 日举行 [1]。若首轮投票后无人获得过半数选票从而需要决选，则决选日期定为 8 月 25 日 [1]。最终的大选日为 11 月 3 日 [1]。
在资金方面，民主党候选人安妮·安德鲁斯目前已筹集超过 800 万美元的资金 [1]。回顾过往选举记录，格雷厄姆曾在 2020 年大选中以约 10 个百分点的优势击败其当时的民主党对手杰米·哈里森 [1]。
South Carolina is entering a period of political transition following the death of its senior senator, Lindsey Graham. [1] Governor Henry McMaster must appoint an interim successor and initiate special primary procedures to select a Republican candidate for the November general election. [1] Although Senator Graham held significant influence during his tenure, South Carolina has long been dominated by Republicans, meaning this election's outcome will impact the party's Senate seat count. [1]
Graham died over the weekend from an aortic dissection. [1] The special primary registration period is scheduled to begin on July 21, with the primary set for August 11. [1] If no candidate secures enough votes in that round, a runoff election will be held on August 25; the general election takes place on November 3. [1] Federal law requires military and overseas ballots to be mailed at least 45 days before an election, creating potential conflicts with this current timeline. [1] In the 2020 presidential election, Graham defeated Democratic opponent Jamie Harrison by a margin of ten percentage points. [1] Meanwhile, Democratic candidate Anne Andrews has raised more than $8 million in campaign funds. [1]