Watch live: South Carolina governor to announce Sen. Lindsey Graham's replacement following his death
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster will hold a press conference at 4 p.m. ET from the Statehouse where he will reflect on the life and service of U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham and announce an appointment to fill the vacancy following Graham's death over the weekend.
Graham served in the U.S. Senate since 2003 after first being elected in 2002 and was seeking a fifth Senate term after winning the Republican primary last month.
FILE - South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster speaks at a podium next to U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham. (South Carolina Governor's Office)
According to Graham's office, preliminary findings show he died of aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
"The death certificate will be PENDING until all the toxicological and microscopic testing are finalized and at that point the death certificate will be updated to reflect the cause of death and appropriately classify the manner of death," his office said.
The rare open Senate seat has ignited a scramble among South Carolina's most ambitious conservatives, who have been eager to climb the political ladder.
President Donald Trump wants to see Lindsey Graham's sister, Darline Graham Nordone, appointed to his vacant seat in the Senate to act as caretaker for the remainder of his term. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Trump says Lindsey Graham’s sister Darline Graham Nordon to finish his term
President Donald Trump says South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster should appoint Lindsey Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, to fulfill the rest of Graham’s term, which expires in January.
McMaster must appoint a temporary replacement until January. A special election will be held next month to pick a new Republican nominee in the general election for Graham’s seat. He had been seeking a fifth term this year.
How South Carolina's special primary works
According to South Carolina law, a one-week filing period for a special primary election begins on the second Tuesday after the candidate’s death, or July 21.
The special primary election would be held on the second Tuesday after that filing period closes, or Aug. 11. Any necessary runoff would follow two weeks after that, or Aug. 25.
From that point, the new nominee would have just over two months to campaign for the general election on Nov. 3.
All of this is problematic, according to federal law, which requires military and overseas ballots to go out 45 days before any federal election. For the general election primary, that would have been June 27. Federal Election Commission officials didn’t immediately return a message seeking clarity about the process.
The Source: This article includes information from The Associated Press and previous FOX Local reporting. This story was reported from Orlando.