SC’s Graham has campaign war chest. Can challengers raise enough for GOP bid?

As Lindsey Graham runs for a fifth term in the U.S. Senate, five candidates are hoping to beat him for the Republican nomination. But Graham has by-far the most financial backing and high-profile endorsements.

The senior senator from South Carolina is one of the most well-funded Republicans in Congress and has support from President Donald Trump, Gov. Henry McMaster and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott.

Calvin Cowen of Spartanburg County, York County motivational speaker Thomas Dismukes, Horry County business owner Patrick Herrmann, Upstate businessman Mark Lynch and Columbia social media influencer Darius Mitchell filed to run against Graham for the Republican nomination. The winner will face the Democratic nominee and be favored to win in the general election in November.

The primary elections are scheduled for June 9, where Republican and Democratic voters will choose their nominees.

Graham raised more than $1 million from campaign committees in the first three months of 2026 and has more than $11.6 million cash on hand, according to his most recent finance report.

“I’ve got a good team, a good message,” Graham told reporters Monday. “I’ve got President Trump’s backing, which goes a long way here. I think I’ve earned his backing. I am well positioned to win this race.”

Money can help candidates get their messages out to more voters.

The runner-up for fundraising is Lynch, the president of Jeff Lynch Appliance Center in Greenville. Lynch announced his run last year and loaned his campaign $5 million. Lynch raised $118,151 in the first three months of 2026 and has more than $3.3 million cash on hand.

Paul Dans, the writer of Project 2025, filed to run for the U.S. Senate seat but suspended his campaign earlier this month. The campaign had more than $684,000 of debt by the end of March and $446,183 cash on hand, according to his first quarter campaign finance report.

Since Dans dropped out, Lynch has seen a “significant uptick” in donations, said Liam Ford, a spokesperson for the campaign. The campaign also hired former Dans staffers Ben Bounds and Seth Camick, Ford said.

How much have other Republican candidates raised?

Of the six candidates, only four have up-to-date campaign finance reports, including Graham and Lynch. Dismukes and Herrmann also filed their reports.

Dismukes raised $14,935 and has $1,810 cash on hand. More than $11,000 came from himself and just under $2,000 were in-kind donations, so he received $1,800 from three donors in the first three months of 2026. Dismukes said he wasn’t asking for campaign donations.

“This is really a DIY campaign for me,” Dismukes said. “I’ve done most of the stuff myself, everything from filing to doing everything else too, but this is definitely grassroots movement.”

Herrmann owns a cleaning-restoration business and lives on a farm in Horry County. He raised $15,467 and has $12,083 cash on hand, but all donations are listed as being from his campaign.

Mitchell said he has just been putting his own money into the campaign, and he plans to defeat Graham “with a lot of faith, a lot of imagination.”

“I’m the hip hop Republican,” Mitchell said. “But a lot of people have a bad outlook on the on the Republican Party because of the current people running it. But I like the Republican Party.”

Dismukes, Herrmann and Mitchell said they were using social media to promote their ideas and connect with voters, despite having less funding than their competitors.

“The fact is, you can reach your constituents with a fraction of the money that it took back in 2003,” Herrmann said. “So digital campaigning is huge. You don’t need to have as much money.”

The Federal Election Commission website does not have posted reports for Cowen or Mitchell.

Cowen did not respond to calls and messages sent to the phone number and email listed on his filing form.

Where has Graham leveled criticism?

Candidates running for U.S. Senate have repeatedly criticized Graham’s leadership, but the South Carolina senator has only publicly condemned one active Republican challenger.

Graham framed Lynch’s stances on abortion, the U.S. Justice Department and drug use as too radical for the Republican Party to reporters Monday. At several press conferences, Graham also accused a member of Lynch’s staff of making anti-semitic posts on social media.

“When you understand the policies he’s pushing, they are crazy,” Graham said Monday. “And you know this, I’m conservative, not crazy.”

Lynch has repeatedly criticized Graham’s position on the war in Iran and abortion on social media and interviews.

“We get to get rid of a traitor as our senator and bring in a true conservative, God-fearing patriot that represents South Carolinians that will return their phone calls,” Lynch said in March 17.

Who has endorsements?

Graham has endorsements from Trump, McMaster and Scott. Former U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson and several anti-abortion advocacy organizations also endorsed Graham

Lynch was endorsed by Dans when he left the race, in addition to several members of the S.C. Freedom Caucus. Far-right anti-abortion group Equal Protection South Carolina also endorsed Lynch.

Dismukes said he wasn’t actively seeking out endorsements.