Nancy Mace eyeing Lindsey Graham’s seat after senator’s death: Report

Lindsey Graham has been dead less than a week and the jockeying is already public. That's politics, we get it, seats don't stay empty and somebody has to fill them. But there's something a little tone-deaf about the timing here, and it's the kind of thing South Carolina voters notice even if the political class doesn't think they will.

Nancy Mace losing her gubernatorial bid and pivoting almost immediately to a Senate vacancy created by a colleague's death isn't a scandal. It's just naked. She's entitled to want the job, and frankly she might be good at it. But there's a difference between wanting a job and looking like you're circling the moment the body's cold. Politico didn't have to dig for this story. It practically wrote itself, which tells you something about how it's landing.

South Carolina Republicans have a real decision in front of them about who should hold Graham's seat, and it deserves more than a resume shuffle dressed up as tribute. Whoever gets the appointment is going to inherit a lot of Graham's foreign policy portfolio and his relationships, not just his desk. That's a heavier lift than a press release about "eyeing" an opening.

None of this means Mace shouldn't run eventually, if there's a special election down the line. But ambition that can't wait a decent interval isn't a great opening argument for the seat. Voters can tell the difference between someone who wants to serve and someone who just wants the next rung on the ladder.