The person who will take the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s Senate seat is the woman he raised as his own daughter.
President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social Monday morning recommending Darline Graham Nordone, Graham’s younger sister, to serve as interim senator from South Carolina.
“I recommended, to Governor Henry McMaster, Lindsey Graham’s wonderful sister, Darline, to serve as interim Senator from the Great State of South Carolina,” Trump wrote. “This would be a fabulous tribute to Lindsey, who loved her dearly!”
South Carolina Gov. Ron McMaster quickly got in line, and will name Nordone at a 4 p.m. press conference Monday at the South Carolina State House in Columbia. She is expected to be sworn into the U.S. Senate on Wednesday.
The bond between Graham and his sister is one of the most remarkable personal stories in modern American political life. Both parents died when Graham was still in his early twenties — his mother of Hodgkin’s disease, his father of a heart attack just 15 months later. Darline was 13 years old. Graham, then 22, took legal guardianship of his sister. After joining the Air Force, he formally adopted her so she could receive military dependent benefits and health insurance.
Nordone appeared in a campaign ad for her brother during his reelection campaign earlier this year, which quickly went viral after Graham’s sudden death on Sunday.
“He’s always been there for me, no matter what,” she said in the video.
Take a look –
Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee, also threw his weight behind Nordone to take Graham’s empty seat within hours of Trump’s post.
“Lindsey Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, would be a fantastic pick to serve out the remainder of the Senate term,” Scott wrote on X. “After speaking with Darline, there is no one better who understands Lindsey’s love for family, our state, and our country.”
The appointment will be temporary. Nordone would serve only until January 3, 2027, when a new Congress convenes. A special Republican primary will be held on August 11 in South Carolina to choose a nominee for the full six-year term. The winner of the primary faces Democrat Annie Andrews in the November 3 general election.
No Democrat has won a South Carolina Senate race since 1998.