South Carolina Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman are still weighing bids for the U.S. Senate seat once held by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., even after President Donald Trump endorsed newly seated Sen. Darline Graham Nordone, R-S.C., for a full term, setting up a potentially messy Aug. 11 special Republican primary, Axios reported Friday.

Norman confirmed he is still considering a run, telling Axios in a text message, "Yes!!" Mace also remains in the mix, according to two sources familiar with her thinking, with one telling the outlet it would be "political malpractice not to" enter the race.

Trump made his preference clear in a Friday Truth Social post, writing that he had asked Graham Nordone to run in the Oval Office and pledging his "Complete and Total Endorsement" if she accepts.

Graham Nordone, appointed by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) to serve the remainder of her brother's term, has not publicly committed, though she has signaled to allies that she is exploring a bid.

The endorsement lands in a race already crowded with ambitious South Carolina Republicans.

Former Rep. Mark Sanford took the most concrete step so far, converting his House campaign committee into a Senate committee in an amended filing with the Federal Election Commission dated Thursday.

Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., and businessman Mark Lynch, who lost to Graham in the June primary, have also been floated as possible contenders.

Mace and Norman come to the discussion from bruising losses.

Both ran for governor earlier this year, and they finished fifth and third, respectively, in the Republican gubernatorial primary.

A move to the Senate contest would give each a chance to reset, but running against a Trump-endorsed candidate in South Carolina carries obvious risk in a state where the president's political operation has repeatedly steered primaries.

The stakes are compressed.

Under South Carolina's accelerated succession timeline, candidates can begin filing July 21, and the special primary is set for Aug. 11.

The winner will replace Graham on the November ballot; the general election victor will serve through January 2033.

Cook Political Report currently rates the seat as Solid Republican, meaning the primary is likely to determine Graham's long-term successor.

Whether Mace or Norman ultimately files, their public deliberations signal that Trump's blessing may not clear the field as often.

The next test comes in four days, when the filing window opens, and the shape of the primary begins to firm up.