Current Affairs Of Pakistan & World: Washington wonders at Graham replacement

Washington wonders at Graham replacement

Jul 13, 2026

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With help from Eli Okun, Ali Bianco and Irie Sentner

Good Monday morning. This is Adam Wren. Get in touch.

In today’s Playbook …

— A new name emerges as D.C. speculates Lindsey Graham’s replacement.

— Where Senate Republicans will feel his absence on their first week back.

— The Boldfaces: Todd Blanche, Tim Scott, Trey Gowdy, Darline Graham Nordone, David McIntosh, Henry McMaster, Pamela Evette, Steve Bannon, Richard Hudson and more.

DRIVING THE DAY

The shocking death of Sen. Lindsey Graham is still reverberating across Washington this morning, fueling a frantic scramble for his Senate seat — both for his immediate temporary replacement and a longer-term successor.

That’s all happening as Senate Republicans confront a sudden leadership vacuum heading into a pivotal week.

In the balance: Republicans’ weakening grip on Washington comes as a parade of consequential nominees take to the Hill (acting AG Todd Blanche to seek the job permanently, Jay Clayton to be DNI and Erica Schwartz to lead the CDC on Wednesday; David Cummins to lead TSA and Keith Sonderling to be Labor secretary on Thursday). The majority also planned votes this week on the NDAA, with Graham having been counted on to bring crucial Democratic votes on board to pass the annual, and typically bipartisan, defense policy bill.

That’s not all: At stake is the White House’s standing with the Senate. Graham was a smoother of the White House’s Senate relationships. Trump is “close with Rick Scott, but so few people like him,” a White House official told our colleagues. “I could see Katie Britt trying to fill that void.”

There’s also Graham's Budget Committee absence amid Reconciliation 3.0. “The last time he and I sat down, we talked about doing the third reconciliation bill and having another big tax cut,” Club for Growth President David McIntosh told Playbook. “Lindsey was all for that.”

At the moment, though, the frenzy around Graham’s short-term successor is heating up.

Playbook has learned that former Rep. Trey Gowdy briefly surfaced last night as a possible short-term pick to finish out Graham’s term, per multiple GOP sources. Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) made a round of calls supporting Gowdy. One person familiar said South Carolina Republican Gov. Henry McMaster is leaning in a different direction and could move early this week. Gowdy and a McMaster spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. (Scott appeared on Gowdy’s Fox News show Sunday night.)

Speculation is “fixed on Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, a loyal deputy of the governor,” POLITICO’s Kyle Cheney, Meredith Lee Hill and Alec Hernandez report. “Evette won President Donald Trump’s endorsement in her own failed bid for governor this year. A person close to Evette, granted anonymity to share her thinking, said she has yet to make up her mind on a run but is fielding ‘tons of encouragement from around the state’ to throw her hat in the ring.”

Some Republicans are balking at Evette. “I think she got beaten so badly that I just don't think she's competitive,” former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon said.

Calls are also coming from inside the house. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, a native of South Carolina who’s maintained a house there during his time in Washington, on Sunday was also fielding calls from people asking him to run, according to a person familiar with the communications.

But but but: Another person close to Bessent said his interest is staying on as Treasury secretary, a role he’s long wanted. A Treasury spokesperson had no immediate comment.

Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, is another name floating among GOP operatives, though some are skeptical she would do it. Her selection, one said, could be an indication McMaster is eyeing a caretaker.

What we’re watching: At 3 p.m. today, Trump is expected to meet with Speaker Mike Johnson and NRCC Chair Richard Hudson, per Meredith.

Basically every Republican in South Carolina will eye the longer term replacement option. The race to replace him so far shows how hard that task could be.

“Senator Graham was a self-effacing happy warrior that will be almost impossible to replace,” Chris LaCivita, the former Trump co-campaign manager who guided Graham to his primary win, told Playbook. “The universal respect and admiration he endeared is just such a loss for the country — and the Senate.”

Or, as POLITICO’s Jonathan Martin puts it in a must-read column this morning, “I’m not sure there was a more deft, pure politician in the Senate in this era than Graham.”

“When he won his primary in June — with Trump’s crucial support, nobody serious challenged him — I congratulated Graham. I said, ‘You were so shy and restrained before, but now you can really mix it up.’

“‘It will be fun,’ Graham replied.”

On today’s Playbook Podcast: POLITICO’s Megan Messerly and Alex Gangitano discuss the latest on the scramble to replace Graham, and Congress’ return to action.

THE DOWNLOAD

CONGRESS RETURNS: Lawmakers will be back in D.C. today with a mountain of legislative priorities to tackle. But time crunches, vote tallies and logistical hurdles could make much progress difficult, POLITICO’s Meredith Lee Hill and colleagues preview. In the House, Johnson still hasn’t quelled hard-liners’ multiple revolts — over the SAVE America Act and immigration — which could gum up the floor indefinitely. Also in limbo: NDAA, government funding (including that controversial Israel aid ban amendment), reconciliation and surveillance, cryptocurrency and college athletics bills. Read Chuck Schumer’s new Dear Colleague letter on government funding

Summer camp: House GOP leaders and House Budget Committee Republicans are at Camp David today for private meetings on another reconciliation package, according to three people, Meredith writes in POLITICO’s Inside Congress today.

JUST VANCE: VP JD Vance will speak with House Republicans tomorrow morning and encourage them to reopen the floor and advance Trump’s agenda, Meredith and Adam report. Conference Chair Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) invited Vance to the House GOP Members Conference at the RNC to deliver remarks and take questions. Leaders asked the White House for help leaning on Republican holdouts who are blocking floor business, Meredith, Mia McCarthy and Jordain Carney report. The leadership team remains unsure of what, if anything, they’ll be able to move across the floor this week.

“I look forward to hearing from Vice President Vance about the agenda he's advancing, how we can strengthen our partnership to root out fraud, and what it will take to keep delivering results for the American people,” McClain said in a statement to Playbook.

Season 2 of On the Road starts in North Dakota

In the first episode of the new season, Jonathan Martin sits down with Doug Burgum, Kelly Armstrong and Kevin Cramer at the Little Missouri Saloon to discuss Trump’s agenda, the future of the GOP, Teddy Roosevelt’s legacy and North Dakota’s big bet on a new presidential library.

Watch now.

THE FRONT PAGE

BRAVE NEW WORLD: How should the left approach AI? Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Greg Casar (D-Texas) wants Democrats to be “AI populists,” siding with the working class to get way bolder on regulating the wealthy Silicon Valley industry, he told POLITICO’s Riley Rogerson and Kelsey Brugger. It’s an early and provocative marker for Dems to set significant limits on AI — and stay away from its super PACs’ money. And with an eye on 2027, insurgent leftists want to bring back the “Green New Deal,” this time with a significant component addressing AI, POLITICO’s Timothy Cama reports.

2028 WATCH: Vance’s outspoken support for an Iran ceasefire and warnings to Israel have alienated some big Republican donors who are staunch Israel supporters, POLITICO’s Sam Sutton and Samuel Benson report. Vance does have some prominent pro-Israel allies, but his willingness to shift from Trump could have ripple effects for Republican coalitions — or the 2028 presidential race. The White House says Trump and Vance are on the same page that “Israel has always been a great ally to the United States.”

CASH DASH: Democrat Paige Cognetti raised just over $2 million in Q2 and has roughly $3.3 million in cash on hand as she challenges GOP Rep. Rob Bresnahan (R-Pa.), while Democrat Janelle Stelson raised just under $2 million and has nearly $4.5 million on hand as she challenges GOP Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), POLITICO’s Lisa Kashinsky scoops. The high hauls for the House challengers come in two of Democrats’ top flip targets.

5 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

1. WAR REPORT: Another week begins with the Iran war escalating again, after both countries unleashed heavier barrages of attacks yesterday and feuded over whether the Strait of Hormuz is open or closed. American strikes went after Iranian military facilities and missiles/drones that the U.S. said were aimed at ships in the strait. Tehran reportedly hit at Qatar and the United Arab Emirates for the first time in months.

Part of the trouble is that the provisional U.S.-Iran peace deal gave Iran more (and vague) power over the strait, quashing a quiet increase in maritime traffic and quickly leading to the latest crisis, NYT’s Edward Wong and colleagues report. Renewed fighting could further strain U.S. weapons stockpiles, CNN’s Davis Winkie reports. Meanwhile, WaPo’s Tara Copp and Alex Horton scooped that a deadly Iranian attack that killed U.S. troops in March has led to recriminations among troops who blame the unit’s leadership. (The top commanders didn’t respond for comment, but the Army defended them.)

2. HEADS UP: United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain is under federal investigation — and a grand jury has already issued subpoenas — over whether he improperly tried to land benefits for his loved ones, Bloomberg’s David Welch scooped. Fain said allegations he was seeking to help his fiancée and her sister by exerting pressure on a union leader are false, and rooted in a political fight within the UAW over this fall’s union election.

3. PETERS’ PICK IN MICHIGAN: Retiring Sen. Gary Peters is jumping into the Democratic primary to replace him, backing Rep. Haley Stevens over Abdul El-Sayed ahead of next month’s Aug. 4 primary, The Detroit News’ Melissa Nann Burke reports. “We need workhorses in the Senate, and we need someone who can do that job from day one. This is not a place for on-the-job training,” Peters told The Detroit News — an apparent dig at El-Sayed, who’s never held elected office.

4. RED-LIGHT REDISTRICT: Can New York Democrats actually push through a gerrymander of their congressional map for 2028? The hurdles are high, and some Dems fear that a necessary November 2027 referendum won’t get the turnout they need in NYC — because the only other elections happening will be in redder parts of the state, POLITICO’s Bill Mahoney reports.

5. UNDER THE RADAR AT OMB: “Researchers worry a Trump rule could end U.S. scientific dominance,” by WaPo’s Riley Beggin and colleagues: “The changes would give White House political appointees more power over hundreds of billions of dollars in discretionary grant funding, diminishing the traditional role of scientific peer reviewers. … The rule change marks a departure from the system created in the wake of World War II, in which independent peer reviewers, experts in the field, determine whether scientific proposals are worthy of federal funding. OMB said it intends to finalize the rule by Oct. 1.”

TALK OF THE TOWN

MEDIAWATCH — As a potential state AGs lawsuit to block the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger reportedly looms this week, some people close to Paramount CEO David Ellison are urging him to move the company out of California in response, Semafor’s Rohan Goswami scooped.

PARDON ME — Fat Leonard, aka Leonard Glenn Francis, told WaPo’s Craig Whitlock that he’s planning to ask Trump for a pardon or commutation. Meanwhile, rapper Boosie Badazz is now suing Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman (remember them?) for $300,000 because he says they wrongly told his lawyer they’d gotten him a Trump pardon, NOTUS’ Jasmine Wright and Taylor Giorno report.

POOL REPORT — “Before Reflecting Pool, algae contractor had troubled project on a trash-infested river,” by WaPo’s Meryl Kornfield: “Greenwater Services, owned by a Trump donor, has received two no-bid contracts from the government since the president returned to office.”

SPORTS BLINK — Trump will host a “Freedom 250 Grand Prix Showcase” at 1:30 p.m. at the White House, bringing together Álex Palou and other leading IndyCar drivers to tee up the D.C. Grand Prix in August, NBC’s Sahil Kapur scooped.

TRANSITIONS — Robin Reck is now the first executive director of Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies America, a new initiative launched by Olivia Walton. She previously worked at Emerson Collective. … Seven Letter is adding Greg Honan as a managing director and Esther Lynch as a content specialist. Honan most recently worked for the city of Boston and is a Biden White House alum. … Alyssa Fisher is joining Americans for the Arts as chief government affairs officer. She most recently worked for United Airlines and is an Obama White House alum. …

… National Taxpayers Union and National Taxpayers Union Foundation are adding Brittany Madni as senior fellow for fiscal policy and Matthew Dickerson as senior fellow for budget policy. Both previously worked at the Economic Policy Innovation Center. … Danny Smith is now senior adviser with the Department of Transportation’s Office of the Secretary. He previously worked at the House Science Committee and is a Brian Babin alum.

ENGAGED — Sarah Valerio, corporate counsel and privacy officer at TRG Holdings, and Andrew Chae, senior associate and team lead at Cambridge Associates, got engaged Friday at Lucha Rosa on the rooftop of the Moxy Hotel. They met on Hinge, just three days after she joined the app, and had their first date at Breadsoda. Pic … SPOTTED: James Rosen, Laura Kelly and Naysa Woomer.

WEEKEND WEDDING — Nick Beek, senior lobbyist at the American Academy of Dermatology Association, and Sam Anscher, inpatient occupational therapist at the MedStar National Rehabilitation Network, got married Saturday at Market Hall in Raleigh, North Carolina. They met at a White Ford Bronco show in 2021. Pic … SPOTTED: Audrey Cook, Chris Postema, Colin Craib, David Mangone, Jacob McIntosh, Jason Ortega, Jennifer Mangone, Kathryn Crenshaw, Kristy Silva, Meredith Allison, Zach Kahan, Zack Tatz, Kelly McCone, Christine O’Connor and J.B. Branch.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Reps. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) and Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.) … WSJ’s Josh Dawsey … NYT’s Devlin Barrett … WaPo’s Natalie Allison … José Andrés … MS NOW’s Michelle Gaps … Punchbowl’s Max Cohen … Elizabeth Bagley … POLITICO’s Hassan Ali Kanu, Uyen Hoang and Hannah Ahmad … Zaina Javaid … Results for America’s Adam Peck … Joe Lockhart … Tim Phillips … Will Dempster … Microsoft’s Kate Frischmann … Todd Zwillich … Jen Howard … Alex Vogel … Julie Eddy Rokala of Cassidy & Associates … Casey Katims … Celia Fischer … Utah state Rep. Rob Bishop … Heather Larrison … Kevin Norton of CGCN Group … Chris Peters of AV … Prime Policy Group’s Karen Antebi … Anne Schroeder … Amanda Hunter … eHealth’s Kate Sullivan

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