Nexstar to host South Carolina Senate debate

Media Nexstar to host South Carolina Senate debate Comments: by Dominick Mastrangelo - 07/31/26 11:42 AM ET Comments: Link copied by Dominick Mastrangelo - 07/31/26 11:42 AM ET Comments: Link copied

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Nexstar Media Group is slated to host a live debate on Aug. 4 featuring the GOP Senate candidates running for the South Carolina seat vacated by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R).

The debate, which will air on all of Nexstar’s stations in the state, will take place Tuesday from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. EDT and will be broadcast from the News 2 studios in Mount Pleasant, just outside Charleston, S.C.

Moderated by News 2’s Carolyn Murray and Queen City News’s Alicia Barnes, the forum will “focus on topics most important to voters, including economic growth, education, and healthcare,” according to the network.

Invited candidates who met the Nexstar debate criteria include Sen. Darline Graham (R-S.C.), Reps. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) and Russell Fry (R-S.C.), former lawmaker and South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford and businessman Mark Lynch.

“This is an example of Nexstar’s responsiveness and commitment to local communities ahead of an unplanned Republican Primary Party’s nomination for U.S. Senate,” said Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division. “Nexstar is pleased to offer this debate as a public service to the voters of South Carolina, just as we have done in several other states across the country.”

Lindsey Graham died earlier this month from an aortic dissection after serving in the upper chamber of Congress since the early 2000s. His sister, Darline Graham, was appointed by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) to finish his current term just days after his death.

Nexstar Media Group, the parent company of The Hill and NewsNation, is the largest provider of local news in the country.