McMaster to announce pick to fill Lindsey Graham’s Senate seat after lawmaker’s death

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster is set to make a public announcement on his choice to fill the remainder of Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R) U.S. Senate term after Graham died over the weekend, The Hill reported in a live segment scheduled for Tuesday.

Graham, 66, died Saturday, The Hill said, citing preliminary findings that he suffered an aortic dissection. The death came after Graham, who had been seeking another term, won his Republican primary election last month, setting up his expected path to continue serving in the Senate.

The Hill said President Donald Trump weighed in Monday, suggesting that a successor should be chosen to fill the seat. McMaster’s announcement is the next step in the process of selecting someone to serve until a further election can determine the eventual term-holder.

The timing matters because a Senate seat is generally filled by an interim appointment when a vacancy occurs mid-term. In practice, the appointee would be in position to participate in committee work, consideration of legislation, and other Senate duties during the period before voters select a longer-term replacement, subject to the applicable election schedule.

For McMaster, the announcement also comes at a point when political attention is focused on continuity in Washington. Graham has been a prominent figure in Senate negotiations and policy debates, and an interim replacement could quickly face major legislative timelines, including votes that arise between the vacancy and the next electoral contest.

Republican state leaders and national officeholders are typically expected to weigh quickly in vacancies involving senior members of the majority party, especially when an election is already underway or recently completed. In this case, with Graham’s primary win confirmed and his death occurring before the next general election, McMaster’s selection would take place under the state’s vacancy and appointment rules.

The Hill’s live coverage positions McMaster’s announcement as the decisive development for how the vacancy will be filled in the near term. The eventual successor’s role will depend on the legal framework governing appointments in South Carolina and on when any subsequent election is scheduled, but McMaster’s choice is expected to immediately determine who holds the seat for the interim period.