WATCH: Lindsey Graham’s Sister Appointed to Senate — Who Will Take the Seat Permanently? (VIDEO)
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster announced Monday that he will appoint the late Senator Lindsey Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, to temporarily represent the state in the United States Senate.
The announcement came shortly after President Donald Trump publicly called on McMaster to select Nordone as a tribute to Graham, who passed away unexpectedly over the weekend at the age of 71.
“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 on Truth Social. “This would be a fabulous tribute to Lindsey, who loved her dearly!”
McMaster accepted the president’s recommendation and selected Nordone to serve through the conclusion of Graham’s current term in January.
Nordone is expected to be sworn into office Wednesday. The appointment carries enormous personal significance.
After Graham’s mother and father died within approximately 15 months of one another, the future senator assumed responsibility for raising his younger sister. Graham became Nordone’s legal guardian while she was still a teenager, and the siblings remained exceptionally close throughout his life.
Nordone will not automatically become Graham’s permanent successor.
She will instead serve as a temporary replacement while South Carolina voters determine who will hold the seat in the next Congress. A special Republican primary is scheduled for August 11, with a runoff scheduled for August 25 if no candidate receives the required support.
The appointment therefore resolves the immediate question of who will represent South Carolina in Washington—but it begins a much larger political fight over who will ultimately succeed one of the most influential Republican senators of the modern era.
Several prominent Republican names are already being discussed.
Rep. Nancy Mace, who recently lost her campaign for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, has reportedly left open the possibility of running for Graham’s seat. Mace previously challenged Graham in the 2014 Republican Senate primary and could attempt to use the special election as an opportunity to revive her political career.
Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, Rep. Russell Fry, Rep. Ralph Norman, Rep. Joe Wilson, and businessman Mark Lynch have also been mentioned as potential contenders. The Republican field could expand rapidly because candidates will have only a brief period to organize campaigns before the August primary.
Whoever wins will inherit a seat that has been dominated by only two men for nearly eight decades.
Strom Thurmond entered the Senate in the 1950s and remained there until Graham succeeded him in 2003. Graham then held the position for more than 23 years, becoming one of Washington’s most recognizable and politically effective Republican lawmakers.
Graham was a complicated figure within the modern Republican Party.
He was a fierce critic of Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign but later became one of the president’s most prominent allies in the Senate.
Perhaps his most memorable moment came during the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
As Democrats promoted uncorroborated sexual-misconduct allegations against Kavanaugh, Graham delivered an impassioned defense of the nominee and condemned what he described as an attempt to destroy an innocent man for political purposes.
That moment helped solidify Graham’s reputation as a Republican who, despite his willingness to negotiate across party lines, could become an aggressive partisan fighter when he believed an institution or political objective was under threat.
Former South Carolina Lieutenant Governor Andre Bauer, who had challenged Graham politically, described his death as “the end of an era in South Carolina politics.”
“For decades, he was one of the most recognizable leaders and devoted the better part of his life to public service,” Bauer told The Patriot Perspective.
“Whether people agreed with his positions or not, few would question his work ethic, his passion for our state, and his willingness to take on difficult issues,” Bauer continued.
“He never hesitated to stand by his convictions, even when doing so came with criticism.”
Nordone’s appointment provides South Carolina with a senator for the remainder of the current term. But the race to determine the state’s next long-term political powerbroker has only just begun.
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