Who Is Darline Graham Nordone?
Lindsey Graham's Sister Appointed to Serve Out His Senate Term
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has appointed Darline Graham Nordone to finish out the Senate term of her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died on Saturday.
“Today, under the law, it's my duty to and honor to name someone to serve in the place of this irresistible man, this irreplaceable man, this extraordinary man, for the remainder of his term,” the governor said at a press conference Monday afternoon. “It's my honor to ask his little sister, Darlene Graham, to finish his work for him now.”
Nordone thanked the governor for the appointment, calling it an “honor” to temporarily take up her brother’s seat.
"My brother was the most amazing person, outstanding leader, and just a genuinely good man. He was kind and considerate, and loved by his family dearly. As I think everyone would agree, Lindsey worked harder than anyone. He worked nonstop to make our state, country, and world better,” she said.
“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,” she continued, adding, “I think this is what Lindsey would have wanted, and I plan to honor him in this way.”
McMaster is empowered under state law to appoint a temporary replacement to serve out the rest of Graham’s term, which ends in January.
A special primary election is then scheduled for next month to select a new Republican nominee for this fall’s general election for the seat, in which Graham had been seeking his fifth term.
Graham, 71, died on Saturday of an aortic dissection, in which a tear occurs in the heart’s main artery, according to preliminary findings from the Washington, D.C., medical examiner’s office. The tear occurred due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, per the findings.
“I know Lindsey was loved and respected by many, and I greatly appreciate the memories and even the funny stories that have been shared,” Nordone said. “These shared experiences, along with our faith, have gotten us through these past two very difficult days.”
President Donald Trump earlier on Monday recommended Nordone to temporarily fill the Senate seat left vacant by the death of her brother, lending his support to an appointment that would honor one of his closest allies in Congress.
“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 in a Truth Social post. “This would be a fabulous tribute to Lindsey, who loved her dearly!”
Nordone concluded her remarks Monday afternoon by addressing her brother directly. “Now, to Lindsey,” she said, “I miss you more than I can even put into words, but I'm going to do this. I got it. Thank you.”
Nordone and Graham shared a close bond
Nordone has worked for years as the director of public information for the South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Department, according to her LinkedIn, and at the time of her appointment was serving as a commissioner for the South Carolina Commission for the Blind, which assists state residents who are blind or visually impaired.
She has never previously held elected office. There is scant public record regarding her political views or stances, though she was a staunch supporter of her brother's political career and featured in his campaign ads and events over the years.
The siblings shared a close relationship. “Lindsey has always been there for me, and now I will be there for him,” Nordone said at Monday’s press conference.
In a New York Times interview in 2015, she described the Senator as “kind of like a brother, a father and a mother rolled into one.”
The two lost their mother to cancer in 1976, and their father to a heart attack just over a year later when Graham was 22 and Nordone 13.
“Our mom got cancer and passed away and about a year and a half later, we lost our dad too. I was just a kid,” Nordone said in a May interview for her brother’s campaign, in which she recalled that Graham “grabbed me up and hugged me” following their father’s death.
After their father died, Nordone went to live with relatives in Seneca, a city near where she and Graham grew up in Central, South Carolina. Graham was a college student at the University of South Carolina at the time.
"Virtually every weekend on Friday afternoons when he was done with classes he was gone," Warren Mowry, Graham's law school roommate, said in an interview with NPR in 2015. "He was back up into Central to work in the store and check on his sister to make sure she was OK.”
Graham later became Nordone’s legal guardian after joining the Air Force so that she could receive his military benefits.
When Graham ran for President in 2015, Nordone introduced her brother to a crowd in South Carolina, describing their bond and sharing details about their upbringing, during which she said they grew up in "not one bedroom, but one room” located behind a bar that their parents ran.
“It is truly my honor to present to you the next president of the United States, Lindsey Graham,” she said.
Republicans voice support
Other Republicans have joined Trump in publicly backing Nordone as Graham’s short-term replacement.
Nordone “would be a fantastic pick to serve out the remainder of the senate term,” South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott wrote in a post on X earlier Monday. “After speaking with Darline, there is no one better who understands Lindsey’s love for family, our state, and our country.”
Scott added in a later post after Nordone’s appointment that it was “an incredible way to honor the legacy” of Graham and said he looks “forward to working alongside her to continue Senator Graham’s commitment to keeping Americans safe and secure.”
Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina, who noted to the New York Post that he has been acquainted with Nordone “for years and she’s a constituent of mine,” told the outlet ahead of the announcement of her appointment that “I have faith in Gov. McMaster that he will make the right decision, but I would support the president’s recommendation.”
Following McMaster’s announcement, Sen. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming said Graham “would be so proud” of Nordone.
“He loved his family so much, and we're all looking forward to working with her to carry on the work he dedicated his life to,” she wrote in a post on X.
Read More: The World Remembers Senator Lindsey Graham
Graham, once a vocal critic of Trump and one of his opponents in the 2016 presidential primary, went on to become a dependable ally to the President in the Senate.
In a post Sunday night, Trump called Graham “one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known” and a “true American Patriot.”
McMaster the following day remembered Graham as “one of South Carolina’s greatest sons” and lauded his “grit, determination, and character.”
“Lindsey Graham recognized the seriousness of his work, but also the value of humor and a light-hearted spirit,” McMaster said. “We have seen him attack evil and injustice, and embrace friendship and the common good with equal fervor and strength.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota choked up while speaking of Graham on the Senate floor on Monday.
“It’s difficult to count the ways in which Lindsey’s friendship made this job richer and its burdens lighter,” Thune said. “Lindsey was as loyal as they come and a trusted adviser. I could always rely on him for straight-talking advice … Lindsey’s wit punctuated all of it and I will cherish those memories for a long time to come.”
The medical examiner’s office said the tear in Graham’s aorta was caused by arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease. A death certificate remains pending until toxicological and microscopic testing is completed, after which the cause and manner of death will be formally recorded, the office said.
https://time.com/article/2026/07/13/darline-nordone-lindsey-graham-sister-south-carolina-senate-trump-mcmaster/
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