South Carolina names Lindsey Graham’s sister to finish his Senate term

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said Monday that Darline Graham Nordone will temporarily serve in the U.S. Senate seat held by her brother, Lindsey Graham.

State law required McMaster to name an interim replacement for the remainder of Graham’s term, which ends in January. McMaster chose Nordone, Graham’s younger sister, according to TIME magazine.

Graham died on Saturday of an aortic dissection at the age of 71.

“Today, under the law, it's my duty to and honor to name someone to serve in the place of this irresistible man, this irreplaceable man, this extraordinary man, for the remainder of his term,” McMaster said at a press conference Monday afternoon. “It's my honor to ask his little sister, Darlene Graham, to finish his work for him now.”

Nordone said the appointment was an “honor” and thanked the governor.

“I know Lindsey was loved and respected by many, and I greatly appreciate the memories and even the funny stories that have been shared,” Nordone said. “These shared experiences, along with our faith, have gotten us through these past two very difficult days.”

The siblings shared a close relationship, which Nordone has described in earlier interviews. In 2015, she told the New York Times that her brother was “kind of like a brother, a father, and a mother rolled into one.”

The two lost their mother to cancer in 1976 and their father to a heart attack one year later. At that point, Graham was 22 and Nordone was 13. After their father died, Nordone went to live with relatives in Seneca, South Carolina, while Graham attended the University of South Carolina. Later, after joining the Air Force, Graham became her legal guardian so she could receive his military benefits.

During Graham’s 2015 presidential campaign, Nordone described their upbringing as modest, saying the family lived in “not one bedroom, but one room,” behind a bar their parents ran. In a May interview for Graham’s latest Senate campaign for reelection, she said, “I was just a kid,” after describing her parents’ deaths, and said her brother “grabbed me up and hugged me” after their father died.

Nordone has never held elected office, and the public record offers little detail about her political views. She has, however, been a regular supporter of Graham’s political career and has appeared in campaign ads for him.

According to Nordone’s LinkedIn, she had been serving as a commissioner for the South Carolina Commission for the Blind before the appointment. She has also worked for several years as director of public information for the South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Department.

Although Graham was once a vocal critic of Donald Trump during the 2016 Republican presidential nomination race, he later became a reliable ally in the Senate. Trump praised Graham in a Truth Social post on Sunday, calling him “one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known” and a “true American Patriot.”

Trump also said he supported Nordone’s appointment and suggested he had influenced McMaster’s decision.

“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 in a Truth Social post. “This would be a fabulous tribute to Lindsey, who loved her dearly!”

Other Republicans, including South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, Rep. Joe Wilson and Wyoming Sen. Cynthia Lummis, also backed Nordone. Scott wrote on X on Monday: “After speaking with Darline, there is no one better who understands Lindsey’s love for family, our state, and our country.”

A special primary election is scheduled for next month to choose a Republican nominee for this fall’s general election.

The appointment comes days after Graham’s death, which has also revived attention on his record against LGBTQ+ rights. That context has kept his legacy under scrutiny, even as Republican leaders moved quickly to fill the seat.

Nordone’s role is temporary, but the succession race now adds another layer to a Senate seat already drawing national attention after Graham’s death.