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The Republican in charge of funding and backing candidates for the Senate has two people in mind to replace the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., has been fielding calls from former and current members of Congress all interested in jumping into the Aug. 11 special election to replace the late lawmaker, but there’s only one he’s been calling consistently: former Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C.
Scott said during an event remembering his colleague Graham on Wednesday, “You probably will be surprised to hear this, but I have an affinity for Trey Gowdy.
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Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., has been trying to recruit former Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., to make a bid for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s seat. Scott said Gowdy would make an excellent senator, but he so far has not relented. (James Devaney/GC Images)
“Trey would be an amazing senator for South Carolina. I’m not sure that, as he says, he could afford the alimony or the pay cut,” Scott said. “But I would love to see him. He’s happily married, by the way.”
Gowdy served in the House for eight years, opting to retire from the lower chamber in 2019 after making a name for himself leading the House Select Committee on Benghazi, where he peppered former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the 2012 terrorist attacks in Libya where four Americans died. He’s since become a host on Fox News.
Scott believed that Gowdy could easily slot into the role because of his years of experience in Congress, and noted that he shared similar areas of expertise as Graham, given his past as a prosecutor and his foreign policy acumen.
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And he could easily step in on the Senate Judiciary Committee, where Graham was expected to become chair next year, to debate and help select a new Supreme Court Justice should a retirement come down the pike in the near future.
“I think he would make a great representative,” Scott said. “I think that’s undeniably true.”
“I can’t think of a better person that, I think, represents the heart of South Carolina than Trey Gowdy,” Scott said. “However, he’s been pretty clear that he is not looking for the job, asking for the job. I’m trying to get him interested in it, but we’ll see if that works out at all.”
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Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., arrives for the House Republican Conference caucus meeting at the Capitol Hill Club in Washington on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
But,he acknowledged that there are others who may be catching the eye of President Donald Trump, who will likely have a major role in tapping Graham’s successor.
“The president’s enthusiasm around Russell Fry probably is no surprise to anybody,” Scott said. “But I have not seen or heard of an endorsement yet coming out of the White House.”
Trump has suggested that Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., who he handpicked to run for the House four years ago, would be a person to watch in the special election. And Fry has been communicating with the White House about jumping into the race.
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But there’s also another person that, in Scott’s opinion, would be a near-perfect fit to replace Graham: his sister, Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., who was appointed to fill out the remainder of her brother’s term.
“I think the truth of the matter is that Darline has so far been off to a remarkable start,” he said. “Why not her, would be my question.”