So he can go fly a kite

Five days after the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, Rep. William Timmons -- a close ally of the late senator -- delivered a pointed message to colleagues already angling for the open seat: he won't be supporting either Rep. Nancy Mace or Rep. Ralph Norman.

Mace had a three-word answer for him.

Fox Carolina / WHNS captured Mace's response on July 16, 2026.

Mace's full statement, verbatim:

"I'm not a candidate for anything. I mean, if I were, I would lose one vote, you know? So I can't help the way some people don't like honest, truthful, hard-working conservatives, which is what I am. So he can go fly a kite."

The backdrop: Graham, who died July 11 after winning the Republican primary in June with 56.8% of the vote, had represented South Carolina in the Senate since 2003. A special primary is scheduled for August 11. The filing window opens July 21 and closes July 28.

Timmons, speaking the day before, said it "rubbed me the wrong way" that within 24 hours of Graham's death, colleagues were already signaling interest in the vacancy. He described the rush as people being "so thirsty for attention" and said plainly that he cannot support Mace or Norman -- pointing out that both had run for governor in June's primary and lost.

Mace's self-aware dig -- "I would lose one vote" -- is an acknowledgment of exactly that critique. She has not formally announced a Senate bid. Filing opens in five days.

Nancy Mace has not announced a candidacy for the Senate seat as of the date of this dispatch. Any Senate run would be subject to the July 28 filing deadline.

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