Darline Graham Nordone will complete her late brother's term, becoming the first woman to represent South Carolina in the Senate. "Lindsey was always there for me. Now I will be there for him."
Darline Graham Nordone, sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, was appointed Monday to fill his seat for the remaining months of his term—and will become the first woman to represent South Carolina in the Senate.
Darline Graham Nordone, Lindsey Graham’s sister, is officially appointed to fill the late senator’s seat.
Photo: Screenshot from the ceremony
“It’s a great honor for me,” Graham Nordone said, standing before her brother’s staff and advisors—some struggling to hold back tears. “Lindsey was always there for me. Now I will be there for him.”
South Carolina’s governor said he spoke with Nordone in the early hours of Sunday, shortly after her brother’s death, and asked her to take on the role. He said he was impressed by how quickly she grasped the magnitude of the responsibility and mission, and noted that President Donald Trump also backed the appointment, calling it “an excellent idea.”
The late Senator Lindsey Graham | Photo: Flash 90
Graham never married or started a family of his own, but his life was deeply intertwined with his sister’s. After their parents died when both were young, Lindsey took on the responsibility of raising Darline and was later named her legal guardian.
Since then, she’s been with him at nearly every major milestone of his political career. She stood by his side at events, joined him for election broadcasts, and was there earlier this year when he filed for another Senate term—alongside her children and grandchildren.
