Former South Carolina Lt. Gov. André Bauer is officially running against Sen. Lindsey Graham in the 2026 Republican primary for the United States Senate election in South Carolina, setting up a high-profile showdown within the GOP.
Bauer, who branded himself as “a real, America First conservative,” announced his candidacy by criticizing Graham for being too aligned with Democrats. He also questioned Graham’s conservative credentials, despite the senator receiving President Trump’s coveted endorsement.
Given South Carolina’s deep-red hue, the GOP primary is effectively the main event. That political reality, Bauer argued on Breitbart News Saturday, gives him a real shot, despite Graham’s institutional advantage:
“We’re getting this old guard, this sort of vipers out of there. [Thom] Tills is going to be gone, [Mitch] McConnell is going to be gone, [John] Cornyn looks like he’s going to be gone. If you get Lindsey [Graham] out there, you cut the head off the biggest viper of them all,” Bauer remarked. “The rest of them will start acting like Republicans, they’ll quit teaming with the Democrats all of the time and showing their true colors.”
“Lindsey can be a Republican from Vermont but not red South Carolina,” he added.
The former lieutenant governor continued, “He’s been to Ukraine nine times; I bet he hasn’t been to Union County nine times in the 32 years he’s been in Congress.”
Noting that Trump has two more years left in office, Bauer said,” Trump’s legacy will die with all of these liberal vipers of Republicans.”
Graham enters the race with a commanding financial edge — his campaign reported more than $15 million cash on hand as of early 2025.
He’s also locked in key Palmetto State endorsements. Sen. Tim Scott and Gov. Henry McMaster have signed on as campaign co-chairs, signaling establishment support remains firmly behind the incumbent.
Bauer isn’t the only challenger. Mark Lynch, an Upstate appliance repair executive, is also running in the GOP primary.
Recent polling conducted before Bauer entered the race showed Graham leading the field with between 43% and 48% support. Lynch polled between 23% and 29%, with a sizable share of voters still undecided.
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