Darline Graham Nordone, the late senator Lindsey Graham’s younger sister, has the backing of powerful Republicans to serve out the remainder of her late brother’s term but a sparse public record of her political views.
Graham, who had represented South Carolina in the Senate since 2003, died suddenly Saturday night at age 71 while campaigning for a fifth term. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster is expected to announce a temporary replacement at a 4 p.m. news conference Monday, and President Donald Trump and Sen. Tim Scott (R-South Carolina) threw their support behind Graham Nordone.
Graham Nordone, a mother of two who is nine years younger than her brother, has never held office and has stayed out of the political spotlight. She long supported Graham’s political ambitions and has worked to help people with disabilities find jobs.
“This would be a fabulous tribute to Lindsey, who loved her dearly,” Trump wrote. Scott described Graham Nordone as a “fantastic pick” and said that “there is no one better who understands Lindsey’s love for family, our state, and our country.”
Graham Nordone’s appointment would allow her to serve out the remainder of Graham’s term, scheduled to end in January. It is unclear whether she plans to run in the Aug. 11 special primary to replace him on the ballot to serve a full six-year term in the Senate.
She did not immediately return a request for comment.
Graham Nordone grew up with her brother in a small room behind a bar run by their parents called the Sanitary Cafe, and later moved into a trailer and a house next door. But when she was 11, their mother died of Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and their father died of a heart attack when she was 13.
Graham Nordone was taken in by her aunt and uncle and described her older brother as a father figure and caregiver. Graham taught her how to spell her name — incorrectly, as her birth certificate says Darlene — and later formally adopted her to allow her to access military benefits.
Graham often visited his sister on weekends while he attended college, she has said. When he later started a job as an Air Force prosecutor in Europe, he offered to find her a college nearby in Europe so they could be together, though Darline decided to stay home.
Graham Nordone also was a consistent presence in her older brother’s political career.
When Graham first ran for the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1992, she knocked on doors alongside him. In 2015, she was the last person to introduce Graham at his presidential campaign’s launch in their hometown of Central, South Carolina, sharing stories of how he helped raise her.
“Lindsey has been by my side through some wonderful times, he’s been there though many special events in both my children’s lives … and he has been by my side through some very tough times,” she said.
Graham, who was not married, said in an interview at the time that his sister would be a “support network” if he were elected president. He also said at the time that his sister could play the role of first lady, saying that he would have a “rotating first lady.”
“Whatever I ask her to do, she would do, and if she took a role on, she’d be a great representative of the country,” Graham said. “I can’t think of a better person to represent our country at an event than my sister.”
Graham Nordone also was a fixture in Graham’s campaign advertisements during his campaigns for Senate, talking about how her older brother took care of her and served as an inspiration to her.
Graham beat a Republican primary challenger last month and was set to face Democrat Annie Andrews in November, in a race he was heavily favored to win.
Several prominent Republicans, including Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman and Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, have expressed interest in running for the seat. The filing period opens on July 21 ahead of the primary and, if necessary, an Aug. 25 runoff.
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