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The five GOP candidates that appeared in South Carolina’s U.S. Senate debate on Monday evening touched on several key issues of national importance as they made their case to fill the seat of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who died while in office last month.
Although candidates remained united on broad issues of party consensus, the debate exposed a fraying of opinion on topics like the war in Iran, U.S. government spending, the filibuster and data center expansion, highlighting the influence of even just one Senate seat.
The candidates include Sen. Darlene Graham Nordone, R-S.C., Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., Rep. Russel Fry, R-S.C., businessman Mark Lynch and former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford.
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The biggest clash of the night came from Graham’s own sister, the appointee currently filling his seat.
Nordone, who received President Donald Trump’s endorsement, announced she would vote to end the filibuster — a procedural hurdle that prevents the chamber from passing most legislation without 60 votes. Republicans currently hold 53 seats in the chamber.
“And I am all for — this is where I differ from my brother — getting rid of the filibuster to get this done, because eventually the Democrats are going to get rid of it anyway,” Nordone said, noting the major break with her late brother.
While supporters of the filibuster argue it prevents parties from strong-arming their views into law without bipartisan input, acting as one of the country’s last bastions of moderation, the rule has throttled several Republican priorities called for by President Donald Trump, including national voter identification legislation.
Mark Sanford, another candidate who formerly served as governor of South Carolina, also touched on a topic of controversy on Monday by alluding that Congress — not the president’s discretion — should set the direction for the war in Iran.
“Only Congress has the authority to declare war. This decision needs to be made by Congress … body bags don’t go back to Washington. They come back to home states and congressional districts,” Sanford said.
It has been nearly six months since the U.S. originally bombed Iran in coordination with Israel, killing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The conflict has stretched well beyond the timeline the administration said it had expected.
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In the time since, debate among lawmakers has raged over whether the president has overstepped his authority and started a war — a power granted to Congress under the U.S. Constitution — and whether lawmakers should pass legislation to restrict his abilities.
Besides Sanford, other candidates seemed to support Trump, citing a concern over Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
One candidate, Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., qualified that support by affirming he would not support deploying U.S. service members to the area.
“No boots on the ground. I’m not a believer in that. My brother served in Iraq, and I’ve lost friends in foreign wars. But we can finish the mission by defanging Iran and making sure they have no capabilities left,” Fry said.
In yet another area of division, Mark Lynch, a South Carolina businessman, raised the issue of data centers, a somewhat niche policy concern that’s rapidly raising questions of how national security interests are balanced against local interests and energy consumption.
While Republicans remain split on the issue, Lynch said he would favor prioritizing local community concerns.
“It is a pain point for South Carolinians,” Lynch said, referring to the expansion of the centers.
“We’re tired of waking up and seeing 100 acres of trees bulldozed, and we’re told the data center is going to go right next to our neighborhood. It is horrible noise pollution. They’re robbing our water. It takes millions of gallons to cool the data centers, and it’s causing our electric utilities to increase. We already have a problem with inflation and affordability.”
Although the debate remained largely restrained, Nordone needled Lynch in her closing remarks over several criticisms of her brother.
Lynch had criticized the late senator’s track record on amnesty and the legalization of marijuana.
“Mr. Lynch mentioned Lindsey Graham multiple times, and I don’t know if he’s just afraid Lindsey beat him, and now his little sister is going to beat him. But I just don’t like hearing that,” Nordone said.
Lynch ran against Linsey Graham in the 2026 primary earlier this year, before his death. Graham soundly defeated Lynch in a 56.8% to 28.9% win in June.
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Lynch did not have an opportunity to respond.
With the debate now concluded, the Republican who wins the primary later this month will go on to run in the state’s Nov. 3 general election against Democratic nominee Annie Andrews — a race that’s projected to heavily favor the GOP. The primary, set for Aug. 11, will likely decide which Republican will go on to win a full six-year term in November.
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