Former Rep. Trey Gowdy Leads South Carolina Senate Primary Race But Says He Has No Interest

By Sam Barron | Tuesday, 21 July 2026 08:18 PM EDT

A new poll conducted by Peak Insights, a Republican-aligned firm, shows former Representative Trey Gowdy leading the Republican field in South Carolina’s special U.S. Senate primary election, though he has stated he has no interest in running.

The death of Senator Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., while seeking reelection triggered a special election to determine who will serve the next six-year Senate term. Governor Henry McMaster appointed his sister, Darline Graham, to temporarily fill the seat until the winner is sworn in.

The poll indicates Gowdy would be the front-runner for the Republican primary with 38% of the vote. Representative Ralph Norman, who has declared his candidacy, holds 13%, while Representative Russell Fry, who also entered the race, has 9%. Darline Graham also registered 9% in the poll, which was conducted before Norman and Fry formally announced their candidacies.

Darline Graham recently received an endorsement from President Donald Trump and announced her intention to run for a full term. However, Trump’s endorsement appears to have provided only a modest boost to her support. When respondents were told she had Trump’s endorsement, her approval rose to 16%, while Gowdy’s support dropped to 35%.

Gowdy served four terms in Congress before declining to seek reelection in 2018. A spokesperson for Gowdy stated that he “has not had any conversations about the open Senate seat and does not have any interest in it.”

Senator Tim Scott, R-S.C., who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee, has previously been polled by Peak Insights. Scott pushed for Gowdy to be appointed to fill Lindsey Graham’s seat and stated he was recruiting him to run in the special election.

“I can’t think of a better person that I think best represents the heart of South Carolina than Trey Gowdy,” Scott said in an interview. “I’m trying to get him interested in it, but we’ll see if that works out at all.”

The survey of 900 people was conducted from July 18–20 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.