The deadline for candidates to file their intent to run in the special Republican primary election to fill the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s seat is next week, and the race is already looking quite crowded.

Graham, who represented South Carolina in the Senate for more than two decades, had been seeking his fifth term in the upper chamber before he died of an aortic dissection last week. Days after his death, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, to finish out the remainder of his term, which ends in January.

Read More: What to Know About Lindsey Graham’s Funeral Services

Voters, meanwhile, will have the opportunity to pick a new Republican nominee to vie for a full term in his seat in the special Republican primary election on Aug. 11. 

Candidates have until July 28 to file their intent to run. Here are the candidates who have announced their plans to enter the race so far.

Darline Graham Nordone

Nordone told Fox News’ Sean Hannity in an interview released on Monday that she plans to run for a full term in her brother’s Senate seat. 

“I’m in,” she said during the interview.

A few days earlier, President Donald Trump urged Nordone to run for a full term.

“Darline, who comes from an absolutely incredible family, has been a WINNER all of her life and, should she accept, has my Complete and Total Endorsement in the Special Election for U.S. Senate in South Carolina,” Trump said in a Truth Social post last week.

Nordone, a mother of two, was a fervent supporter of her brother’s political career, but she herself had never before held public office. She spent years working in disabilities services.

Read More: Who is Darline Graham Nordone? Lindsey Graham’s Sister Appointed to Serve Out His Senate Term

Russell Fry

South Carolina Rep. Russell Fry also announced on Monday that he intends to run for the seat.

“Too many South Carolina families are struggling to make ends meet,” he said in a post on X. “We need a conservative fighter in the Senate who delivers real results. I will be your conservative MAGA candidate in the special primary Senate election this summer.”

Fry is also running for reelection for the House seat he currently holds. If he were to win both the Senate and House races, he would only be allowed to take on one of those roles.

Mark Sanford

Mark Sanford, a former South Carolina congressman and governor, said on Thursday that he will be entering the race to fill Graham’s seat.

“Our country is at a financial tipping point, and I can’t sit on the sidelines while Washington adds a trillion dollars to the debt every 100 days,” he said in a social media post. “I’ve spent my entire time in politics fighting this fight, and I’m running for U.S. Senate to keep the American dream alive for our sons, my grandson, and those you love.”

Sanford was at the center of a public scandal while serving as governor in 2009, when he admitted to having an extramarital affair. The admission came amid widespread doubts about his whereabouts one week that June, when his staff initially said that the governor was taking some time off to write and later that he was hiking the Appalachian Trail. Instead, he had traveled to Argentina in secret to visit his lover. 

Still, Sanford brushed off calls to resign and went on to finish his term as governor. Sanford, who held a seat in the House before he became governor, was later reelected to the lower chamber and went on to serve three more terms there.

He also previously mounted an unsuccessful 2020 presidential campaign.

Mark Lynch

On July 13, businessman Mark Lynch confirmed that he will run for Graham’s seat in the Senate.

“A lot of you have asked. Yes, it’s official,” he said in a social media post. “I’m committed to finish what God has called us to since February of 2025. To bring the U.S. Senate seat of South Carolina back to TRUE Conservative leadership for the Republican party.”

Lynch previously challenged Graham in the Republican primary race for the seat in the upper chamber. He ultimately lost the race to Graham in the June 9 primary election, but he earned the second highest share of the vote, with just under 29%.

Ralph Norman

South Carolina Rep. Ralph Norman announced on July 18 that he plans to enter the special Republican primary race.

“It’s official! I’m running to represent the people of South Carolina in the U.S. Senate because we need a fighter who will stand with President Trump and carry on Lindsey Graham’s legacy!” he said in a post on X.

On Thursday, Norman posted a video of himself and South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace, in which she endorsed him in the race. Some people had previously speculated that Mace herself might launch a bid for Graham’s seat, but she announced earlier this week that she would not be running.

“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to send a tried and true conservative to the United States Senate,” Mace said in the video Norman shared. “Ralph Norman doesn’t bend, he doesn’t break, and he doesn’t back down.”

Duke Buckner

Duke Buckner is also joining the race for Graham’s seat, according to local news outlet WIS News 10. Buckner has unsuccessfully run multiple campaigns to represent South Carolina in the House and Senate over the years.

“I am running because too many Americans are working harder and falling further behind,” Buckner told WIS News 10. “People should be able to afford a home, raise a family, and build a better life. We need to make it easier to build, expand opportunities in the skilled trades, and lower the cost of living.”

Mark McBride

Mark McBride—a former mayor of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina—said in a social media post on Wednesday that he had filed his intent to run in the Senate race the previous day.

In his post, McBride said that “a solid underlying platform” to his campaign was his disagreement with Trump launching the war in Iran.

“A vote on Tuesday, August 11th for Mark McBride is NOT a vote to continue to have our troops as sitting ducks in uninhabitable, destroyed former U.S. Bases in the Middle East,” he said. “A vote for Mark McBride is for a new direction for the Republican Party.”

Samuel Shepherd

Samuel Shepherd, who is a biochemical and medical engineer, also joined the crowded race this week, according to South Carolina Public Radio.

Clark Neilson

Clark Neilson, a land surveyor who appears to live in Charlotte, filed his intent to run in the special election as well, according to South Carolina Public Radio. He told the local news outlet that he had been thinking about running for office for a while.