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South Carolina Governor Appoints Lindsey Graham's Sister as Interim Senator After Receiving Competing Recommendations
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster named Darline Graham Nordone to fill the Senate seat left vacant by her brother Lindsey Graham's death. President Trump had recommended the appointment. A special primary election is expected later this year.
Jul 12, 3:33 AM·2m read119 sources
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South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has appointed Darline Graham Nordone to serve as interim U.S. senator for the remainder of her brother's term. U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina died Saturday at age 71.
His office stated the cause was a brief and sudden illness. A preliminary medical examiner finding showed the death resulted from a rupture to his aorta related to hardening of the arteries, with an official determination pending further testing. Emergency personnel responded to a cardiac arrest call at Graham's Capitol Hill residence on Saturday night, NBC News reported.
Graham had returned the day before from a trip to Ukraine, where he met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday to discuss air defense needs and a Russian sanctions bill. He was scheduled to appear on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday. Graham was elected to the Senate in 2002 after serving in the House from 1995 to 2003.
He recently chaired the Senate Budget Committee and sat on the Appropriations, Judiciary, and Environment and Public Works committees. He was running for a fifth term in November 2026 and had clinched the GOP nomination. President Trump called Graham one of the greatest people and senators he had known and a hard-working patriot.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had lost one of its greatest friends. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz posted that Graham stood with Israel at its most difficult moments. Zelenskyy wrote that he was deeply saddened and called Graham a true defender of freedom, noting the senator had visited Ukraine 10 times since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.
On Monday, President Trump said he recommended Graham's sister Darline to South Carolina Gov. Trump wrote on Truth Social that the appointment would be a fabulous tribute to Graham, who loved her dearly.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster is scheduled to hold a press conference Monday afternoon to announce the appointment. Sen. Tim Scott recommended former Rep. Trey Gowdy as a short-term replacement.
