Two Special Primaries
One Summer 2026
BREAKING NEWS
Voters who cast ballots in the June Democratic primary aren’t eligible to take part in the upcoming Special Republican Primary to replace Lindsey Graham on the November ballot, the state Election Commission confirmed on July 15.
Conway Belangia, executive director of the S.C. Election Commission, said that only voters who took Republican ballotsin, or didn’t vote at all in the June Primary, will be able to vote in the Special Primary this August.
This website had previously stated that all registered voters would be eligible, based on interpretations of SC voting law, which is not specific on the matter. However, the Election Commission based today’s decision on a 1992 court case that decided a somewhat similar matter. “It has been just a few days we’ve had to pull this together, and we feel comfortable at this point to go in this direction,” Belangia said during a July 15 commission meeting.
The South Carolina Democratic Party will not be fighting the Election Commission’s decision.
ONE: This summer - 2026 - the state of South Carolina will have a Special Republican Primary to replace Lindsey Graham, who died unexpectedly on July 11, on the November ballot for US Senate.
Democrat Annie Andrews and some third-party candidates are already on that ballot.
TWO: here in York County, our State Senate District 15 will have a Special Primary to choose candidates for a Special Election to replace State Senator Wes Climer, who is resigning to run for Congress against Mallory Dittmer in the SC 5th Congressional District.
These are completely separate Special Primaries, on separate days. The results of both will determine some of the candidates who will appear on the ballot on Election Day, November 3, 2026.
That’s the tl;dr. This page has the details on both… as much as we know now, as both are still in flux with open filing dates and unknown candidates.
Pick your poison:
State Senate
Special Primary/
Election for
District 15 in
York County
Special Primary: September 1 (with early voting, runoff if needed)
Head’s up, York County voters in State Senate District 15
This Special Primary and Special Election is to fill a vacancy in the State Senate seat for District 15 because the incumbent State Senator, Republican Wes Climer, is resigning to run for Congress against Democrat Mallory Dittmer in the SC 5th District.
Climer’s resignation is effective November 3. The actual ‘Special Election’ will be part of the General Election on November 3, but because at least two Democratic candidates have officially filed for the election, there will be a Special Primary on September 1.
In general, State Senate terms run four years, with elections in ‘Presidential’ years, so this is the only election for State Senate this year.
Only voters who are registered in SC Senate District 15 will participate in this Special Primary, and only they will see this election on their November 3 ballot.
Where is District 15?
State Senate District 15 is located entirely inside York County. It is carefully gerrymandered to include the Republican areas of western and northern Rock HIll, the Lake Wylie area, and the City of York. It does not include Fort Mill.
Only voters who are registered in District 15 will see this election on their ballot. Check your registration at SCVotes.gov to see if you are in the District.
Why a Special Election and Primary? (we’ll get to when…)
The incumbent State Senator, Republican Wes Climer, has resigned the seat (effective November 3) and is running against Democratic candidate Mallory Dittmer for US House District 5, the seat vacated by Ralph Norman in his failed bid for the Republican nomination for Governor (note that Norman will get a shot at the nomination for US Senate in the Special Republican Primary following the death of Lindsey Graham).
Climer’s resignation from his State Senate seat is ‘irrevocable’, so when he loses the election for US House to Mallory Dittmer, he can’t return to his State Senate seat. The remaining term for this seat will be about two years, until the State Senate session in 2029 — State Senators have four-year terms, and elections are held in ‘Presidential’ years.
OK… When? (and stay tuned for Who? later on this page)
The actual election day is November 3, 2026… yes, that’s the date of the General Election for everything else this year. That stemmed from a deal Climer reached with the State Senate to avoid some of the expense of a separate, really ‘special’ election (an nice gesture, blown to pieces by current events).
The Special Primary is what really affects the election calendar. Here are the details:
Candidate filing period: Noon, July 10 – Noon, July 18, 2026
As of July 15, two candidates – Chad Williams and Monika White – have filed for the Democratic nomination. Check the SC Votes Candidate Listing for the most recent updates.
Only James Burns has filed for the Republican nomination.
A little strategy to consider here. If no other Republican files before July 18, there will only be a Democratic Special Primary. Will only voters who took Democratic ballots in the June Primary be eligible to vote? See the BREAKING NEWS block at the top of this page for a similar decision affecting the Special Republican Primary.
Special Primary: September 1, 2026
Since two Democratic candidates have officially filed, there will also be a Special Primary on September 1, with early voting the week before (see below). As of July 14, only one Republican has filed, so there may not be a Republican Special Primary. But see our note on a little strategy in the previous paragraph.
Special primary runoff: September 15, 2026 (if needed)
If at least one more Democrat files (or three or more Republicans file) , and if none of them receive more than 50% of the vote, then we will have a Special Primary Runoff on September 15.
Early Voting? 🥱
Now that at least two Democrats have filed, we know there will be a Special Primary. The South Carolina Elections Commission has this web page with dates and locations. It says:
Voter registration deadline:
Sunday, August 2, 2026 (mail-in registration forms will be accepted if postmarked by Monday, August 3, 2026).
Early voting period – Special Primary:
Monday, August 17 – Friday, August 28, 2026 (Monday- Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.)
Make a note of this… one week of early voting. Interesting, because the Election Commission is only scheduling three days of early voting for that Republican Special Primary to replace Lindsey Graham on the ballot.
Early voting period – Special Primary Runoff (if needed):
Wednesday, September 9 – Friday, September 11, 2026
(Monday- Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.)
Early voting location for Special Primary and Special Runoff:
Board of Voter Registration & Elections Office of York County, 6 South Congress Street, Suite 1201, York, SC
this is the York County Government building in the City of York (which is in District 15). Note that this office has not been part of early voting in recent election cycles, but it is the only early voting site listed for this Special Primary
The Early Voting locations used last June, and for the Special Republican Primary in August, are not part of this Special Primary. They are not located in State Senate District 15.
As usual, the polls on the day of this Special Primary (or Runoff - if needed) will be at your Precinct voting location (check your voter registration).
And since the ‘Special Election’ itself is part of the General Election on November 3, all the early voting and location data applies.
Who’s Running 🏃🏾♂️🏃♂️🏃🏾♀️🏃♀️?
Candidate filing is July 10-18, and candidates are beginning to appear on the SC Votes Candidate Listing web page.
As of July 14, Democrats Chad Williams and Monika White have officially filed. They now appear on our Meet the Candidates page for State Senate and House.
Filing closes at noon on July 18, so more Democratic, Republicans, independents or third party candidates have time to file. Stay Tuned.
James Burns is the only Republican to file as of July 14. We’ll let the YCGOP ballyhoo their candidate.
As always, the YCDP does not endorse Democratic candidates ahead of a Primary. We attempt to list all qualified candidates equally. If we missed a candidate announcement, let us know at ycdptv@gmail.com.
to replace
Lindsey Graham
as the
Republican Candidate
for Senate
Special Primary
Special Republican Primary: August 11
Runoff: August 25
Incumbent Republican Lindsey Graham, who died unexpectedly on July 11, was up for re-election to the US Senate in 2026. He had cleared the Primary bar with 57% of the vote and avoided a runoff, and was set to be on the November 3 ballot as the Republican candidate.
While Governor McMaster appointed Graham’s sister, Darlene Graham Nordone, to serve out the term until next January, SC election law requires a Special Primary to replace him on the November ballot. That Special Primary is set for August 11, and the all-but-inevitable runoff will be August 25.
Nordone is expected to be a ‘placeholder’ and isn’t likely to run in the Special Primary. This appointment, favored by President Trump, gives Trump and potential candidates a clear field as they jockey for position and endorsements.
Candidate filing will be open from July 21 - 28, 2026
Follow the candidates on the ballot yourself using the SCVotes Candidate Listing web page. That page probably won’t have an entry for the Special Republican Primary until sometime after the 21st. Then it’s usually updated quickly as candidates file.
Who can vote in the Special Primary?
On July 15, the SC Election Commission decided to follow a precedent from a 1992 court decision and allow only voters who took a Republican ballot — or who did not vote at all — in the June Primary to vote in this Special Primary. The SCDP appears to agree and will not be fighting this decision. See this story in the Post & Courier.
Dates, times, locations
Candidate filing: Noon July 21 through noon July 28, 2026
The filing fee for this office is $10,440, just in case you were thinking about it as a fun thing to do this summer
Special Primary: August 11, 2026
7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at your usual Precinct polling location
Early Voting for the Special Primary: three days — Wednesday, August 5 through Friday, August 7, 2026
8:30 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.
Locations (same as the June Primary locations):
Fire Training Center of York County: 2500 McFarland Road, York, SC 29745
Carolinas Cornerstone: 1790 Gardendale Road, Fort Mill, SC 29708
Holiday Inn Rock Hill: 503 Galleria Blvd Meeting Rooms Rock Hill, SC 29730
Runoff (if needed): August 25, 2026
Early voting for the Runoff: another three days — Wednesday, August 19 through Friday, August 21, 2026
Times and locations are the same as for early voting for the Special Primary