Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Darline Graham Nordone to fill her late brother Sen. Lindsey Graham’s seat Monday two days after the longtime lawmaker’s sudden death.
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“It’s my honor to ask his little sister, Darlene Graham, to finish his work for him now,” McMaster said at the ceremony, roughly 48 hours after Graham died of an aortic dissection.
Trump made clear his preference hours before the announcement, writing on Truth Social that tapping Graham’s “wonderful sister” would be “a fabulous tribute to Lindsey, who loved her dearly.” The president’s intervention carried weight in a state where his endorsement has repeatedly proven decisive, and it settled a field that reportedly included Lt. Gov. Pam Evette, former Rep. Trey Gowdy and former Sen. Jim DeMint.
McMaster said he spoke with Nordone in the early hours of Sunday morning. “You agreed to serve through tears, and I had wondered what you would say and I was humbled by your quickness to see the duty that you had to serve,” he said, adding that Trump endorsed the choice immediately afterward.
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The appointment carries practical stakes for Republicans, who hold a narrowed Senate majority following Graham’s death and are already managing Sen. Mitch McConnell’s absence.
Nordone, 62, has no prior political experience but has served as a commissioner with the South Carolina Commission for the Blind. Raised by her brother after their mother’s death when she was 11, she recalled their bond in a 2014 campaign ad: “If I fell down and scraped my knee, Lindsey was the one I ran to.” She is married to Larry Nordone and has two daughters.
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