Two days after GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) died suddenly at 71, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster named the late senator’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, to fill out the remainder of his term.
A preliminary autopsy pointed to an aortic dissection as the cause of death. McMaster choked up announcing the pick, stating: “Lindsey took care of his little sister in years long departed. It’s my honor to ask his little sister Darline Graham to finish his work for him now.”
The move had the White House’s blessing, with Trump stating Monday morning on Truth Social that it would be a “fabulous tribute” to appoint Nordone to succeed a man he “loved dearly.” The post comes in addition to the president calling into Fox & Friends, remembering Graham as a friend and crediting him with helping push Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination through during his first term.
Senate Republican Leader John Thune signed off too, saying putting Graham’s sister in his seat was a fitting way to carry his legacy forward.
The late senator raised Nordone after their parents died within 15 months of one another— their mother from Hodgkin lymphoma, their father from a heart attack — leaving Graham, then 20, to adopt his 13-year-old sister.
Nordone herself has never run for office, having spent her career in disability advocacy and currently serves as a commissioner for the South Carolina Commission for the Blind.
Nordone is married, has two daughters, and until now has mostly stayed out of the spotlight except for appearing by her brother’s side on the trail.
Meanwhile, the race for a full six-year term is already taking shape with Reps. Nancy Mace, William Timmons, Russell Frye and Ralph Norman among others weighing bids. South Carolina holds its special primary Aug. 11.
