SC’s Lindsey Graham likely to face Republican challenger amid conservative grumblings, report says

South Carolina’s senior U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham reportedly may face a Republican challenger when he’s next up for reelection, and at a time some Republicans believe Graham’s position in the party is vulnerable.

South Carolina Congressman Ralph Norman, a Rock Hill Republican, could likely challenge Graham in the 2026 Republican primary, when Graham is up for reelection, according to Politico.

“Rep. Norman is not ruling anything out but has made no decisions yet on future elections,” Austin Livingston, communications director for Norman, said in an email to The State. “He remains firmly committed to serving South Carolina’s 5th district in the House, and doing everything within his ability to restore fiscal sanity and conservative values to Congress.”

Earlier this month, Graham was booed for several minutes by his own constituents at a Donald Trump rally in Pickens, leading some conservatives, who’ve long distrusted Graham, to suspect that Graham is loosing steam within the party and may now may even be vulnerable enough to be defeated in his next Senate bid, Politico reports.

Following the rally, multiple conservative groups and South Carolina constituents began pushing Norman to run, according to Politico.

Indeed, more South Carolinians disapprove of the way Graham is handling his job than those who do approve, according to the latest poll from Winthrop University. Specifically, 57% disapprove of the senator’s handling of his job while 43% approve, according to the poll.

But this isn’t the first time speculations have surfaced surrounding Graham’s ability to hold onto his seat in the face of a challenger.

In 2020, Democrat Jaime Harrison put up a record breaking fundraising fight against Graham, spurring reports that Graham’s chances for reelection were potentially slim, especially in light of his ongoing support of former President Trump.

Graham, however, prevailed with 54% of the vote, compared to Harrison’s 44% in that race.

Notably, Norman endorsed Graham during his last bid for the Senate in 2020 and said that Graham was instrumental in helping Trump appoint a slew of conservative judges, but that has now apparently changed, according to Politico.