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Part of: Musgrave v. Mace (2:25-cv-01823-RMG) · The 2026 South Carolina Senate Special Election · 2026 Governor Campaign

Dispatch

'He believed that showing up mattered': Mace issues a press release as every other SC House Republican attends Graham's funeral

On July 28, 2026, Sen. Lindsey Graham's casket lay in the US Capitol Rotunda and then was carried to Washington National Cathedral for his funeral. Every other South Carolina House Republican was there. Rep. Sheri Biggs and Rep. Joe Wilson presented wreaths at his casket. Reps. Russell Fry and Ralph Norman accompanied the South Carolina delegation. Rep. Nancy Mace, who spent two weeks publicly weighing a run for Graham's Senate seat and publicly clashing with him during his lifetime, did not attend. Her office issued a press release statement instead. Filing for the special election primary closed at noon the same day.

Official portrait of Rep. Nancy Mace
Photo: U.S. House of Representatives. Source

Rep. Nancy Mace did not attend Sen. Lindsey Graham's funeral on Tuesday, July 28, 2026. Her office issued a press release statement in lieu of her presence. Every other South Carolina House Republican appeared in person.

Who was there

Graham's funeral unfolded across two Washington ceremonies. A morning service at the US Capitol Rotunda was followed by the main funeral at Washington National Cathedral. Among those who spoke or presented tributes:

  • Vice President JD Vance: "Lindsey Graham could make anybody laugh and could make anybody feel at home. I remember Lindsey Graham as a man who loved people, and because he loved people, he was willing to reason with them, to respect them, and ultimately to persuade them."
  • Senate Majority Leader John Thune: "No one was more capable of cracking up a room." He concluded with a direct address: "To Lindsey, rest in peace, my friend."
  • President Donald Trump, who delivered a eulogy, describing Graham as "a great politician" and saying their friendship "started off a little bit on the rough side" before becoming close.
  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy were also in attendance.

The South Carolina House delegation was present as a group. Rep. Sheri Biggs and Rep. Joe Wilson presented wreaths at Graham's casket. Rep. Russell Fry and Rep. Ralph Norman attended with the delegation. Graham's sister and interim senator, Darline Graham Nordone, received her brother's casket on the Capitol steps.

Speaking at the service, Biggs offered a line that landed differently given who was not there: "He believed that showing up mattered."

Who was not there

Mace was not listed among the South Carolina delegation. She did not present a wreath or appear in reporting from the Capitol Rotunda or National Cathedral ceremonies. Her office published a press release on the day of the funeral.

The same day the funeral took place, at noon, the filing deadline for the special Republican primary to fill Graham's Senate seat closed. Mace did not file.

The statement she issued instead

Her official press release, published July 28, 2026, in full:

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 28, 2026), Today, Congresswoman Nancy Mace (SC-01) issued the following statement on the funeral of Senator Lindsey Graham:

"Today, South Carolina and our nation say goodbye to Senator Lindsey Graham.

"For more than three decades, Lindsey dedicated his life to serving our state and our nation, from the South Carolina legislature to the United States Air Force to the United States Senate. He was a tireless advocate for the people of South Carolina and never stopped fighting for what he believed in.

"No one could ever question his love for South Carolina or for America. His legacy will live on through the countless lives he touched and the lasting impact he made on our state and our nation.

"We are praying for his family, his friends, his former staff, and all those mourning his loss today.

"May God be with them, and may Senator Graham rest in peace."

Screenshot of Nancy Mace's official press release on Lindsey Graham's funeral, mace.house.gov, July 28 2026

She also posted twice to X on the day of the funeral. On her official @RepNancyMace account:

"Today, our nation says farewell to Senator Lindsey Graham. For more than three decades, he devoted his life to serving South Carolina and the United States, from wearing the uniform of the U.S. Air Force to serving in the United States Senate. He never stopped fighting for what he believed in. No one can question how much he loved his state and his country. Rest easy, Senator."

Screenshot of @RepNancyMace tweet about Lindsey Graham's funeral, July 28 2026

The two weeks between his death and his funeral

Graham died on July 11, 2026, at age 71 from an aortic dissection. Within hours, Mace's name was already attached to his vacant seat.

The sequence, from his death to the funeral, is documented across multiple Maceopedia dispatches:

  • July 12: Hours after Graham's death, Mace posted a clip from The Godfather Part III to X with the caption "Just when I thought I was out... they pull me back in..." She appeared on CBS, Fox News, and CNN the same day, leaving the door open each time. On Fox: "I would be an idiot not to at least look at it." On CBS: "We're stunned. Nobody thought this could happen anytime soon." On CNN: "We can't afford to lose any seats in the House. I'm not pursuing it." Then, in the same interview: "There will be time to decide."
  • July 12: Axios reported her team was putting a viability poll in the field. Politico reported Trump allies said they could "block Rep. Nancy Mace" from the seat.
  • July 15: Rep. William Timmons, a close Graham ally, said it "rubbed me the wrong way" that colleagues were already signaling interest within 24 hours of Graham's death. Mace's response: "So he can go fly a kite."
  • July 16: An Emerson College poll put Mace at 10 percent, tied for third in the Republican primary field.
  • July 17: Trump endorsed Graham's sister for a full term, writing "RUN, DARLINE, RUN!"
  • July 20: Mace announced she would not run, citing "unfinished business." In a 64-second video posted to X: "I'm not chasing another title, I'm chasing justice."
  • July 21: Mace endorsed Ralph Norman for the Senate seat, backing the candidate running against Trump's pick. Norman was at Graham's funeral. Mace was not.

The record before his death

The two weeks of Senate seat speculation were an unusual backdrop for a colleague's funeral. But the relationship between Mace and Graham was strained well before his death.

In March 2026, during Mace's 2026 governor campaign, she demanded that Trump remove Graham from the Situation Room over his Iran hawkishness. On CNN's Laura Coates Live, after a clip of Graham urging Trump to seize Iran's Kharg Island, Mace stated directly: "I want President Trump to take Lindsey Graham out of the Situation Room." She also wrote on X that she did not want to hear from "a guy with no kids" who was sending "someone else's kids to war." See Maceopedia's dispatch.

In November 2025, Graham publicly backed Sen. Tim Scott's rebuke of Mace after her confrontation with police and TSA staff at Charleston International Airport. Mace responded the same day with: "REAL MEN PROTECT WOMEN." In a separate post aimed at Graham: "Interesting. Lindsey Graham all of a sudden wants to talk about women."

In 2014, Mace challenged Graham in the Republican US Senate primary. He won. She finished fifth.

Mace's condolence on the day he died, posted to her Instagram on July 12, acknowledged the record without dwelling on it:

"South Carolina lost a giant last night. For more than three decades, Lindsey Graham gave everything he had to this state and this country, from the Air Force to the United States Senate. We did not always agree, but no one ever questioned his love for South Carolina or the fight he brought to every room he walked into. Please join me in praying for his family and for all who called him a friend. Rest easy, Senator."

That statement is documented separately.

Maceopedia short

Sources & related coverage

This dispatch reports confirmed public facts about funeral attendance and official statements. It reproduces verbatim quotes from documented public sources.

'He believed that showing up mattered': Mace issues a press release as every other SC House Republican attends Graham's funeral: image 1
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'He believed that showing up mattered': Mace issues a press release as every other SC House Republican attends Graham's funeral: image 3
'He believed that showing up mattered': Mace issues a press release as every other SC House Republican attends Graham's funeral: image 4
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'He believed that showing up mattered': Mace issues a press release as every other SC House Republican attends Graham's funeral: image 6
'He believed that showing up mattered': Mace issues a press release as every other SC House Republican attends Graham's funeral: image 7