Topline
Sen. Darline Graham Nordone, R-S.C., the younger sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., announced Monday she is running to permanently replace her brother, after she was appointed to fill the remainder of his term following his sudden death earlier this month, though little is known about her politics.
Key Facts
Graham served as commissioner of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind since 2019, and has worked at Clemson University, for the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce, and the South Carolina Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, according to a press release from Republican South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster announcing her appointment.
She campaigned for her brother throughout his political career—sometimes appearing with him at campaign events and in a 2014 ad in which she often talked about how he raised her when he became her legal guardian after their parents died within 15 months of each other when she was just 13.
Graham has advocated for disability rights legislation, people who worked with her told PBS News—she helped undo subminimum wage policy in South Carolina when the state legislature voted to end it in 2022 and was present at the bill signing.
Tissot and former Republican state Sen. Katrina Shealy, also a supporter of disability rights legislation and friend of Graham’s, both told PBS Graham never seemed particularly political.
Shealy was the recipient of Graham’s only political donation since 1990, according to OpenSecrets: $100 to her 2020 reelection campaign.
Graham, 62, graduated from the College of Charleston in 1989 with a degree in sociology; she is married to Larry Nordone, and has two daughters.
What To Watch For
Graham, who was sworn in last week to serve out the remainder of her brother’s term through the end of the year, will run in a special primary election on Aug. 11. The winner will compete against Democrat Annie Andrews in the November election. Republican South Carolina Reps. Russell Fry and Ralph Norman, and businessman Mark Lynch, who placed second behind Lindsey Graham in this year’s primary, are also running in the special primary.
Crucial Quote
“I know I’m a hard worker. I learned that from Lindsey,” Graham told Fox News’ Sean Hannity while announcing her candidacy in a clip that aired Monday. “I feel like I can do it. I feel an inner peace about it. Will it be difficult? Yes. Absolutely.”
What Has Lindsey Graham said about his sister?
Lindsey Graham told C-SPAN while discussing his relationship with his sister in 2015, “of all the things that have happened in my life, her turning out so well is the highlight of it, because she was 13, lost both of her parents. She’s got two daughters, one 21, one 6, and she’s made an incredible life for herself.” Lindsey Graham, who was never married and had no children, also said during his presidential campaign in 2015 his sister could serve as a “rotating first lady” if he were elected president.
Tangent
President Donald Trump in a Truth Social post on Friday said he urged Graham to run for her brother’s seat, calling her a “spectacular person, and a true American Patriot.” Trump said “Lindsey was one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known, and his sister shares his deep love of our Country, and the State of South Carolina.”
Key Background
Lindsey Graham, 71, died on July 11 from a tear in the body’s main artery, according to a preliminary report from the Washington, D.C., medical examiner. Graham served four terms in the Senate and was widely expected to be elected to a fifth after winning his primary in June. Lindsey Graham was best known as a foreign policy hawk—a staunch advocate for Israel and Ukraine—and for his close relationship with Trump. He rebuilt his relationship with Trump, acting as a liaison between the White House and the Senate, after he was sharply critical of Trump when the two ran against each other for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination.
further reading
Lindsey Graham’s Sister Appointed To Finish His Term (Forbes)
Lindsey Graham Died From Cardiovascular Disease, Preliminary Report Says (Forbes)
Conspiracists Question Known Facts Around Graham’s Death After Ukraine Trip (Forbes)