South Carolina’s first female U.S. senator was sworn in Tuesday to complete the remaining months of Lindsey Graham’s term as the state prepares for an accelerated special-election process.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Darline Graham was sworn into the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, assuming the South Carolina seat held by her older brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, just three days after his unexpected death in Washington.
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Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Graham on Monday to serve through the remaining months of her brother’s current term. Her temporary appointment is separate from the special election that will determine which Republican candidate advances to the Nov. 3 general election for a full Senate term.
Lindsey Graham had been campaigning for a fifth term before his death Saturday at age 71. A preliminary medical examiner’s report attributed his death to an aortic dissection, a tear in the wall of the body’s main artery.
Darline Graham becomes the first woman to represent South Carolina in the U.S. Senate. She has never previously held elected office.
Her professional background includes work as an optician and service with several state agencies, including the South Carolina Commission for the Blind and the Department of Employment and Workforce.
Although she is married to Larry Nordone, she will serve in the Senate under her legal name, Darline Graham.
Her appointment carries particular personal significance because Lindsey Graham became her legal guardian after both of their parents died. He was 22 at the time, while she was 13.
Speaking after McMaster announced the appointment, Graham described the lifelong role her brother had played in caring for her.
Her older brother “had always been there for her,” she said. “And now, I will be there for him.”
She also addressed Lindsey Graham directly while acknowledging the grief surrounding her appointment.
“To Lindsey, I miss you more than I can even put into words,” she said. “But I’m going to do this. I got it.”
The siblings remained exceptionally close throughout Lindsey Graham’s life. He never married and had no children, while his sister frequently appeared at his campaign events and participated in speeches and political advertisements supporting him.
She joined him earlier this year when he filed paperwork for reelection, accompanied by her children and grandchildren.
McMaster said he contacted Darline Graham during the early morning hours Sunday, shortly after her brother’s death, and asked whether she would accept the temporary Senate appointment.
“I had wondered what you would say, and I was humbled by your quickness to see the duty that you had to serve,” McMaster said.
The governor also said President Donald Trump approved of the selection.
Trump “thought it was a great idea” when McMaster later informed him of the decision, the governor said. Trump publicly endorsed Darline Graham’s appointment earlier Monday.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., welcomed Graham before the swearing-in ceremony and said he expected her to continue her brother’s commitment to the state.
Thune said he knows Darline Graham “will carry on Lindsey’s tireless service to South Carolina.”
Lindsey Graham was one of Trump’s closest Senate allies and held a prominent position in Republican leadership and congressional policymaking.
At the time of his death, he chaired the Senate Budget Committee and was expected to become the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee in the next Congress.
His death triggered a rapid election timetable under South Carolina law.
A one-week candidate filing period for the special Republican primary is scheduled to begin July 21, the second Tuesday after Graham’s death.
The primary election is then expected to take place Aug. 11, the second Tuesday after the filing period closes.
Should no candidate secure the required result and a runoff become necessary, that contest would be held two weeks later on Aug. 25.
The eventual Republican nominee would then have slightly more than two months to campaign before the Nov. 3 general election.
Several prominent South Carolina Republicans are considering entering the race.
Potential candidates include Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and Republican Reps. Russell Fry, Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman.
Until voters choose a successor, Darline Graham will represent the state and complete the balance of her brother’s term.
Her arrival in the Senate combines a historic milestone for South Carolina with an unusual family transition, placing the seat temporarily in the hands of the younger sister Lindsey Graham raised after the deaths of their parents.
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