Rep. William Timmons (R-SC) on Tuesday offered a chilly response to several of his South Carolina colleagues who swiftly expressed interest in replacing Sen. Lindsey Graham after the longtime senator’s sudden death.
Timmons reflected on Reps. Nancy Mace (R-SC) and Ralph Norman (R-SC) suggesting they could throw their hat in the ring to fill Graham’s seat, which was left vacant when Graham died from heart disease on Saturday evening. He said their quick reactions “rubbed me the wrong way,” and cast doubt on whether his two colleagues could have a chance at winning a Senate race, since they were both losers in South Carolina’s gubernatorial primary earlier this year.
“[Voters] just got the best polling data ever in [the] South Carolina … primary election,” Timmons said during an interview with Fox News Digital. “I think that some of the people that have talked about running have a history of just saying outlandish things and taking ridiculous positions just for the purpose of getting clicks. And I think that that is not something that the people of South Carolina are going to reward.”
“The way that within 24 hours people are talking about that, that’s just not appropriate,” he continued. “And I don’t know, I think it’s unfortunate that these people are so thirsty for attention that they’ll get it at the expense of [Graham’s death]… it just rubbed me the wrong way.”
Gov. Henry McMaster (R-SC) named Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, to serve out the rest of the late senator’s term, which ends Jan. 3, 2027. There will be a separate special election on Aug. 11 to replace Graham on the November ballot, since he was running for reelection.
Several GOP lawmakers have already been floated as possible candidates or thrown their names in the ring themselves.
Mace said Sunday that she was considering a bid. Norman said Monday that he asked President Donald Trump for his endorsement in a possible Senate campaign, but said the president told him it was “too early” to do so. Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette (R-SC) has faced calls to replace Graham, but told CBS News on Monday that it was “disheartening” that the conversation had turned so quickly to politics after his death.
Trump had singled out Rep. Russell Fry (R-SC) as a possible replacement, calling him “outstanding” and “somebody you could watch out for” during a Monday interview with Newsmax. Fry has made no public statement on a run but has spoken to White House operatives about it, according to Politico.
Timmons on Sunday posted a lengthy eulogy for Graham on his X account, calling the late senator a mentor and friend who served more than three decades in the Air Force and Air Force Reserve.
TRUMP SAYS LINDSEY GRAHAM WAS ‘A LITTLE TIRED’ IN PHONE CALL ‘SHORTLY BEFORE’ DEATH
“For all that Lindsey accomplished, what always impressed me most was where he came from,” Timmons wrote. “He was the embodiment of the American dream.”
“After losing both of his parents as a young man, Lindsey made the extraordinary decision to raise his younger sister, Darline. He often spoke about how survivor Social Security benefits helped the two of them make it through those unimaginably difficult years. He never forgot where he came from, and he never forgot the responsibility he carried,” Timmons continued. “Long before the Senate, he was working in his family’s liquor store and pool hall in Central, South Carolina. Those experiences shaped the way he saw the world. He could relate just as easily to a mechanic, a waitress, or a soldier as he could to a president or prime minister because he had lived a life that looked a lot more like theirs than Washington’s.”
