Darline Graham Nordone, the sister of the late Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, will temporarily represent South Carolina in the US Senate following her brother’s sudden death over the weekend, Gov. Henry McMaster announced.
Nordone will serve the remainder of Graham’s current term, which ends in January. Senate Republican Majority Leader John Thune said shortly after the announcement that she could be sworn in as early as Tuesday, making her the first woman to represent South Carolina in the US Senate.
“This is such a tremendous honor,” Nordone said at a news conference attended by dozens of her brother’s staff members and advisers, some of whom were in tears. “Lindsey was always there for me. Now I will be there for him.”
Graham died Saturday night at age 71, apparently from an aortic rupture. The senator never married or started a family, and Nordone remained a visible presence throughout his political career, joining him at speeches and public events and appearing in some of his campaign advertisements.
Their relationship dated back to the deaths of their parents, who died a little more than a year apart. Graham was 22 when he became the legal guardian of his then-13-year-old sister. While later serving as a lawyer in the Air Force, he formally adopted Nordone so she could receive his military benefits.
Nordone previously recalled that Graham hugged her on the day their father died “and promised he would always be there for her and take care of her.” She said her brother kept that promise.
McMaster said he contacted Nordone in the early hours of Sunday, shortly after Graham’s death, and asked her to accept the Senate appointment. President Donald Trump also backed the move and expressed support for Nordone’s appointment earlier that day. President Trump wrote yesterday that McMaster should name her as the interim replacement.
Nordone has worked as an optometrist in the optical field and for several South Carolina government agencies, including the Commission for the Blind and the state’s Department of Employment and Workforce.
Special Republican primaries are expected next month to select a candidate for the November general election to fill Graham’s seat. His death has opened a contest among several prominent South Carolina politicians.
