Lindsey Graham’s Sister Named First Female South Carolina Senator
Darline Graham Nordone will serve the rest of her brother's term.
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster today appointed longtime public servant Darline Graham Nordone to serve the remainder of her brother’s Senate term after Lindsey Graham’s unexpected death at 71 Saturday night.
She is set to be sworn in Wednesday at the Capitol as South Carolina’s first female senator. President Trump had pushed for Mrs. Nardone, 62, as the interim senator Monday morning.
At a news conference in Columbia, the state capital, fellow Republican Mr. McMaster spoke of Mr. Graham as “this irresistible man, this irreplaceable man, this extraordinary man.”
He noted Mr. Graham stepped up to care for Darline, then 13 years old, when their parents died, their mother in 1975 and their father the following year. Mr. Graham, then 22, became Darline’s guardian and eventually adopted her so she could access his military benefits.
“Lindsey took care of his little sister in years long departed,” Mr. McMaster said. “It’s my honor to ask his little sister, Darlene Graham, to finish his work for him.”
“Lindsey has always been there for me, and now I will be there for him.” Mrs. Nardone said. “He loved his family and loved serving this state and our country. He dedicated his life to our country.”
She added, “It is such a privilege to get to finish some of his important work, and I promise to work hard over the next several months to support the president and carry forward the efforts of my brother on behalf of the citizens of South Carolina and the United States.”
Choking back tears, she concluded, “Now to Lindsey: I miss you more than I can even put into words. But I’m going to do this. I got it.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said, “I applaud Governor McMaster’s decision to appoint Darline Graham Nordone to replace her brother and our friend, Lindsey Graham, in the U.S. Senate. Lindsey’s legacy will continue through Darline, and I look forward to welcoming her soon.”
Former Lindsey Graham spokesman Kevin Bishop also supported the move. “I know Lindsey would be beaming with pride and appreciation if his sister was the one to fill the final few months of his term. He loved her dearly,” he wrote. “Darline is accomplished in her own right. She has years of experience in state government leadership. She’s also a certified optician with a long record supporting government programs for the blind and workforce development.”
Mrs. Nordone has spent much time in public-facing roles in state government. She worked for the South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Department starting at least in 2008, rising to director of communications by 2019. She was a South Carolina Commission for the Blind commissioner from around 2020 through 2026.
Speaking to CNN in 2015 — when her brother announced his GOP presidential-nomination bid — Mrs. Nordone described a childhood in which the family lived together in a single room connected to the family business.
“It was the one room where we all slept, we all ate, we watched TV, the sofa, everything was in the one room,” she said.
Asked if her brother became a father figure after their parents died, Mrs. Nordone responded, “Absolutely. Yeah. Even when my parents were alive, they worked really long, hard hours running a small business, so even then he was a caregiver to me.”
She also confirmed Mr. Graham adopted her so she could receive his military benefits. “At first the idea was a little odd, but I was like, no, it makes perfect sense,” she said. “And I just trusted his judgment. So I knew he was doing what he could to take care of me, and it was best for us.”
Mrs. Nardone, who is married to Larry Nardone and has two children, will serve through the end of Mr. Graham’s term, January 3, unless she runs for the seat, is nominated, and elected this November. The special primary to pick a new Republican nominee will open July 21 and culminate in an August 11 election.
 | A guest post by
|