WASHINGTON (AP) — Darline Graham, sister of the late South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, was officially sworn into the U.S. Senate on Tuesday afternoon — just three days after her brother passed away suddenly.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Darline Graham on Monday to serve out the remaining months of her brother’s current term. A special election is scheduled for next month to choose a new Republican nominee for the general election, as Lindsey Graham had been seeking a fifth Senate term at the time of his death.
Darline Graham, who will be South Carolina’s first female senator, has never held elected office. Her career background includes work as an optician and positions at several state agencies, among them the South Carolina Commission for the Blind and the Department of Employment and Workforce. Though she is married to Larry Nordone, she will serve in the Senate under her legal name, Darline Graham.
Speaking Monday, she reflected on her bond with her older brother, who raised her after the deaths of their parents. “And now, I will be there for him,” she said.
Lindsey Graham, 71, died unexpectedly on Saturday in Washington. A preliminary medical examiner’s report indicated he suffered an aortic dissection — a tear in the aorta. He had been one of President Donald Trump’s closest allies in the Senate, serving as chairman of the Senate Budget Committee and set to become the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee in the next Congress.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., remarked before Tuesday’s swearing-in that he believes Darline Graham “will carry on Lindsey’s tireless service to South Carolina.”
Lindsey Graham, who never married and had no children, shared an especially close relationship with his sister. He became her legal guardian when he was 22 and she was 13, following their parents’ deaths. She was a regular presence at his campaign events, appeared in speeches and ads on his behalf, and was by his side when he filed reelection paperwork earlier this year, accompanied by her children and grandchildren.
At the announcement of her appointment, Darline Graham addressed her late brother directly: “To Lindsey, I miss you more than I can even put into words. But I’m going to do this. I got it.”
Gov. McMaster recalled that the two had spoken “in the wee hours of Sunday morning” following Graham’s death, when he asked her to step into the role. “I had wondered what you would say, and I was humbled by your quickness to see the duty that you had to serve,” McMaster said. He also noted that President Donald Trump “thought it was a great idea” when informed of the selection, and Trump had publicly announced his support for her appointment earlier Monday.
Under South Carolina law, a one-week filing period for the special primary election begins on the second Tuesday following a candidate’s death — in this case, July 21. The special primary itself would then be held on August 11, with any needed runoff two weeks later on August 25. The eventual nominee would then have just over two months to campaign ahead of the November 3 general election.
Several Republicans are reportedly considering entering the race, including Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and Republican Representatives Russell Fry, Nancy Mace, and Ralph Norman.
