Graham ally rips 'thirsty' Republicans jockeying to replace late senator

FIRST ON FOX: The sharks are swirling in the water in the race to replace Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and one of his closest allies is unhappy with how quickly South Carolina Republicans jumped on the opening.

"I'll just be honest, it rubbed me the wrong way," Rep. William Timmons, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital in an interview.

"The way that within 24 hours people are talking about that, that's just not appropriate," he continued. "And I don't know, I think it's unfortunate that these people are so thirsty for attention that they'll get it at the expense of — It just rubbed me the wrong way."

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Since Graham’s sudden death on Sunday, two members of the South Carolina GOP congressional delegation, Reps. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., and Ralph Norman, R-S.C., have signaled interest in running in the forthcoming special election to lock in a new Republican nominee.

Mace teased a bid on social media after she failed to secure the Republican nomination for governor in the Palmetto State last month — Norman similarly was unable to clinch the nomination, which eventually went to South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson.

Mace posted a quote from "The Godfather III" on X on Sunday after sources close to her revealed she was "seriously" considering a bid in the Aug. 11 special election.

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"Just when I thought I was out… they pull me back in," she posted.

And Norman told reporters that he's seeking Trump's endorsement for the race. 

Norman said Trump told him, "He's got to have some time." 

"I said, 'Can you endorse me if I run?'" Norman recalled.

Timmons, who shared a close bond with Graham forged through hours on the golf course, argued that he didn’t believe that either would be senator after voters "just got the best polling data ever in [the] South Carolina … primary election."

He contended that the next senator needed to "work to earn everyone's respect and trust. And you can disagree, but you don't need to be mean about it," and to model themselves after Graham.

Timmons said a lesson he learned from his late mentor was that you have to earn the respect and trust of your colleagues: "You don't tweet hateful things at them. You don't tell them what to do. You tell them why this is a good path forward, and sometimes you have to figure out a way that you can make it work."

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"I think that some of the people that have talked about running have a history of just saying outlandish things and taking ridiculous positions just for the purpose of getting clicks," Timmons said.

"And I think that that is not something that the people of South Carolina are going to reward," he continued. "And I think that it would be very unfortunate if the next senator did not take the same approach."

For now, South Carolina does have a temporary replacement for Graham — his younger sister, Darline Graham.

Darline Graham, who has never held elected office before, is set to be sworn in to the position on Tuesday. From there, she’ll serve out the remainder of her brother’s term.

Candidates can begin filing for the primary race one week from Tuesday. Timmons, when asked if he was interested, didn’t shut the door on the idea.

"That's a conversation for the future, and obviously I support the president," he said. "I think the president is going to be the deciding factor of who the next senator is, and we will see what he decides."