Legacy Pick: South Carolina Governor Appoints Lindsey Graham’s Sister To Serve Out Remainder of Senate Term

Governor Henry McMaster of South Carolina is appointing Senator Lindsey Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, to serve out the remainder of her brother’s term in the Senate. Mrs. Nordone and Graham were exceptionally close. Graham died suddenly on Saturday night after suffering what medical examiners believe was an aortic dissection, an often-fatal tearing in the walls of the body’s largest artery. Graham was rushed to the hospital where he was declared dead just hours after returning from a trip to Ukraine. On Monday, President Trump said on Truth Social that Mrs. Nordone should be the one to fill Graham’s seat until his term ends in January. The president said it would be a “fabulous tribute” to the late senator. Within hours, other members of Congress endorsed the idea. Speaking at the South Carolina statehouse on Monday, Mr. McMaster announced that he would be appointing Mrs. Nordone to serve as a caretaker senator through the end of what was Graham’s fourth term in the U.S. Senate. The governor called Graham “irreplaceable” and “extraordinary” as he introduced Mrs. Nordone. “It is an honor to ask his little sister, Darline Graham, to finish his work for him now,” Mr. McMaster said. “It is such a privilege to get to finish some of his important work,” Mrs. Nordone said at the event. She addressed her brother directly saying that she misses him “more than I can even put into words.”“But I’m gonna do this,” Mrs. Nordone said. “I got it.” She made clear that she would not seek a full term in the Senate, telling the crowd that she looks forward to just a few months of work on Capitol Hill. Little is known about Mrs. Nordone’s professional life other than she previously worked at the state’s Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, where she assisted individuals with disabilities to gain employment. She and her husband Larry Nordone have two daughters. Her close relationship to her older brother is well-documented, however. The two grew up poor in rural South Carolina, where their parents owned a bar before both Graham’s mother and father passed away at young ages. Graham’s father died of a heart attack just 15 months after Graham’s mother died of cancer. Graham, who was 22 at the time, raised his little sister, who was 13, eventually adopting her after he went into the Air Force so she could receive military benefits. When she introduced him at his 2015 presidential campaign announcement, she said Graham “never made me feel like a burden. He always made me feel so loved.”“Senator Graham left an undeniable mark on this country, but the strongest thread of his legacy belongs to his family,” wrote Senator Jim Justice, a Graham ally from West Virginia. “That’s how I know Darline Graham Nordone is the right choice to carry on Senator Graham’s torch. She is certainly going to make him and South Carolina proud.”At the time of his death, Graham was seeking a fifth term in Congress’s upper chamber. He passed away after having won the GOP primary last month. South Carolina Republicans will now go back to the polls on August 11 to choose a new nominee. If no candidate receives a majority of the primary vote, a runoff election will be held two weeks later on August 25. Several candidates have already made clear that they are interested in running for Graham’s seat. Congressman Ralph Norman, a hardline conservative Freedom Caucus member, told Bloomberg News on Sunday that he would announce his plans after returning to Washington on Tuesday. Congresswoman Nancy Mace has also publicly toyed with running in the special August primary despite coming in fifth place in the GOP primary race for governor. She received a great deal of pushback after she posted a clip from The Godfather Part III in which Michael Corleone says, “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.” Ms. Mace posted the clip less than 12 hours after Graham died. “This post is grotesque. Taking glee over the potential of becoming a Senator because of a vacancy created by the sudden death of your colleague is vile,” Congressman Mike Lawler, a New York Republican, wrote on X in response. Another possible candidate is lieutenant governor Pam Evette, who, like Ms. Mace and Mr. Norman, recently lost the GOP gubernatorial primary to state attorney general Alan Wilson. Ms. Evette was supported by Mr. McMaster in the primary for governor and has so far not ruled out a run for the Senate. Candidates can file to run beginning next Tuesday, July 21, and will have one week to do so. There will be no signature gathering required. Candidates must only file a form and pay a fee to the state Republican Party of just over $10,000.

Legacy Pick: South Carolina Governor Appoints Lindsey Graham’s Sister To Serve Out Remainder of Senate Term

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