By admin 
S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster cast his vote Tuesday in the 10-person Republican special primary for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s six-year U.S. Senate term.
Read more Graham, Norman advance to runoff in SC for U.S. Senate GOP bid
The 79-year-old McMaster, in the final months of his terms as governor, likely had a clear favorite.
But meeting with reporters after voting, and peppered with questions about who he voted for, McMaster wasn’t saying.
“We have a lot of choices,” McMaster told reporters at the Lourie Center near Five Points. “That shows a lot of interest, a lot of interest in the position.”
McMaster hinted that if there is a runoff in two weeks between the two top vote getters, he might pick a favorite. But he avoided committing himself.
“That would be a more likely time than right now,” McMaster said.
Asked what mix of qualifications the ideal candidate should have, McMaster said, “Somebody who’s serious, somebody that understands, somebody who’s willing to ask questions, someone who’s willing to listen to the advice from the right sources, not necessarily to agree but to think.”
Read more Graham, Norman advance to runoff in SC for U.S. Senate GOP bid
It’s also important to have a work ethic and a desire to learn, McMaster said. “You really have to study, you have to read, you have to go to meetings, you have to seek information.”
Graham, 71, died of a sudden heart failure July 11. Following his death, McMaster appointed his sister, Darline Graham Nordone, to the U. S. Senate post to finish out Graham’s term, which ends Jan. 3.
President Donald Trump has endorsed Nordone (who goes by the name of Graham). Polls indicate Graham is leading the race, but her lead is not sizable enough to avoid a runoff. The winner must get more than 50 percent.
McMaster said Graham’s decision to run for the full upcoming six-year term was not unexpected.
“I’m not surprised because that often, often happens,” the governor said.
Voting with McMaster was his wife of 48 years, Peggy. They had arrived at the Lourie Center shortly before noon in a two-SUV caravan of black Suburbans.
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