WASHINGTON — South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has tapped late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, as interim senator to serve out the remainder of his term.
Graham (R-SC), 71, was up for reelection this election cycle and had just clinched the GOP nod. South Carolina is expected to hold a special primary election on Aug. 11 to find a new GOP standard bearer to succeed him after his sister finishes up the rest of his term in January 2027.
“Lindsey took care of his little sister in years long departed. It’s my honor to ask his little sister, Darline Graham, to finish his work for him now,” McMaster announced at a press conference.
Graham died suddenly Saturday evening after suffering a sudden tear in the aorta, which takes blood from the heart to distribute to the rest of the body, according to his office.
Ahead of McMaster’s (D) announcement, President Trump urged the governor to tap Darline as his interim successor.
“This would be a fabulous tribute to Lindsey, who loved her dearly!” Trump posted on Truth Social.
The late senator had become his sister’s legal guardian in his early 20s after their parents died and he enlisted in the Air Force. That helped her receive his military benefits.
Darline commended him for ensuring she completed high school and received a college education.
Their father had died of a heart attack in his late 60s, just a few years younger than Graham at the time of his death.
Graham had long been close to his sister. During his long-shot 2016 presidential campaign, the South Carolinian bachelor suggested that she would serve as first lady if he won.
After Trump publicly pushed for her to take Graham’s seat through the remainder of his term, Darline told The Post that she was “devastated” by his unexpected passing.
The late senator had several key ambitious foreign policy projects he was working on before his tragic passing, including the pursuit of normalizing relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, more aggressive action against Iran, and a sanctions bill against Russia.
“I can’t die now. I still need to do the Russia sanctions, get Iran sorted out and do Israeli-Saudi normalization,” Graham said hours before his death, Axios reported.
At the time, Graham privately acknowledged that he wasn’t feeling well. The senator had been pushed to get medical attention, but he insisted he would do so after his scheduled appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday, per the report.
Graham had been a giant in the Senate, involved in most significant bipartisan pieces of legislation that cleared the upper chamber during his tenure.
A foreign policy luminary, he was also massively influential on the world stage, frequently meeting with world leaders and dignitaries, while advocating for a hawkish approach against America’s enemies.
“He’s going to be appreciated more now than he was when he was living,” Trump reflected to “Meet the Press” on Sunday.
“He’s a tough one to lose. He was great — he was unique in every way,” Trump later added. “He was like a member of the family to me. It’s very tough.”
