2026 United States Senate election in South Carolina
The 2026 United States Senate election in South Carolina will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of South Carolina . Incumbent four-term Republican Senator Lindsey Graham , who was re-elected in 2020 , is eligible to run for re-election to a fifth term in office.
Background
South Carolina is generally considered to be a Republican stronghold , having not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1998 . Republican nominee Donald Trump won South Carolina in 2020 by 12 percentage points, and in 2024 grew his margin to 18 percentage points. Republicans control every statewide office (except the state's comptroller office ), supermajorities in both chambers of the state legislature , both U.S. Senate seats, and all but one seat in South Carolina's U.S. House congressional delegation .[ 1] [ 2]
Senator Lindsey Graham was first elected in 2002 , defeating Democrat Alex Sanders by about 10 percentage points. He was re-elected in 2008 , 2014 , and most recently in 2020 defeating Jamie Harrison by 10 percentage points in what was expected to be a dead heat.[ 3]
Republican primary
Candidates
Publicly expressed interest
Potential
Democratic primary
Candidates
Filed paperwork
References
^ Adcox, Abraham Kenmore, Seanna (November 6, 2024). "Trump wins SC for 3rd time, on his way to stunning White House victory • SC Daily Gazette" . SC Daily Gazette . Retrieved December 21, 2024 . {{cite web }}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link )^ Kenmore, Jessica Holdman, Abraham (November 6, 2024). "SC Republicans celebrate red wave that gives GOP biggest advantage in 150 years • SC Daily Gazette" . SC Daily Gazette . Retrieved December 7, 2024 . {{cite web }}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link )^ Lobosco, Katie (November 4, 2020). "Lindsey Graham defeats Jaime Harrison in South Carolina | CNN Politics" . CNN . Retrieved December 21, 2024 . ^ Solender, Andrew (November 27, 2024). "Scoop: A huge wave of House members is eyeing runs for other offices in 2026" . Axios . Retrieved November 27, 2024 . ^ Bustos, Joseph (November 14, 2024). "Who might run for South Carolina governor and US senator in 2026? Here are names to watch" . The State . Retrieved November 14, 2024 . ^ "FEC Form 2 for Report FEC-1606714" . Federal Elections Commission. Retrieved December 26, 2022 .
