Norman tells President Trump he wants endorsement in special Republican primary to replace late Sen. Lindsey Graham, report says

Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) spoke with President Donald Trump about a potential endorsement in the special Republican process to replace the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), according to a report published by Bloomberg Government and carried by The Hill on Sunday.

The report said Norman asked Trump for an endorsement and that Trump responded, “give me a week.” The exchange was described as taking place after Graham’s office announced his death hours earlier, according to the report.

The timing of the reported conversation places the White House discussion early in the timeline of the South Carolina vacancy-filling process. Graham’s death triggered the need to set the special election schedule and determine which candidates advance through any interim steps laid out under state election law.

Norman’s request, as described in the report, underscores how endorsements can be used during high-salience replacement contests, particularly when the field may be narrowed through special-primary mechanisms. In such scenarios, an endorsement can also be used by party actors to consolidate support behind a single candidate rather than allowing votes to split among multiple contenders.

Neither the report nor the account provided by The Hill indicated that Trump had issued a public endorsement at the time of the conversation. Instead, Trump’s reported response suggested the president was still weighing the decision and indicated a short timetable for a follow-up.

The exchange also highlights the practical role of presidential officeholders in statewide political succession scenarios, even when the ultimate ballot process depends on state election procedures. Any endorsement would be separate from the legal mechanics of how South Carolina schedules a special election and how candidates qualify and campaign under state rules.

Graham’s office announcement and the rapid follow-on conversation reported by Bloomberg Government and The Hill have intensified focus on who will compete to serve the remaining term and how quickly party support could coalesce around a successor. As of the report, the next step indicated by Trump was a response after “a week.”