Lindsey Graham's sister will fill his Senate seat after his sudden death

Lindsey Graham's sister, Darline Graham Nordone, has been appointed to serve out the remainder of the late South Carolina senator's term.

"Lindsey has always been there for me, and I will be there for him," Graham Nordone said at a July 13 press conference, in her first public comments since her brother's death, calling him an outstanding leader. "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."

The 71-year-old senator died suddenly on July 11 from what was preliminarily identified as a rupture of his aorta due to a hardening of his arteries, Graham's office said the next day.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said he called Graham Nordone on July 12 to make the request, and she tearfully accepted.

"I was humbled by your quickness to see the duty that you had to serve," McMaster said. "I called the president (Donald Trump) afterwards, and he thought it was a great idea, and I'm sure that everyone here does as well."

Graham Nordone doesn't have any political experience. Her current career is helping people with disabilities find jobs.

But she said with the support of her brother's staff and colleagues, she feels confident she can do the job.

"I think this is what Lindsey would've wanted, and I plan to honor him in this way," Graham Nordone said. "Now, to Lindsey, I miss you more than I can even put into words, but I'm going to do this. I got it."

It's unclear if Graham Nordone will run for her brother's seat. Graham was seeking a fifth term in the Senate in this year's midterm elections after defeating several challengers, most notably Mark Lynch, a wealthy businessman, in South Carolina's Republican primary last month.

Under South Carolina law, candidates who want to run for Graham's seat have one week starting July 21 to file for a special primary election to be held on Aug. 11.

McMaster's announcement of Graham Nordone came hours after Trump made the recommendation in a Truth Social post.

"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 posted. "This would be a fabulous tribute to Lindsey, who loved her dearly!"

Sen. Majority Leader John Thune also endorsed the choice, telling CNN it "would make a lot of sense."

Graham, who was never married and did not have children, often referred to the close bond he shared with his younger sister.

Lindsey Graham raised sister Darline Graham Nordone

During Graham's 2016 presidential campaign, his younger sister shared with The New York Times how the four-term senator taught her to ride a bicycle.

The siblings were bonded by the loss of both parents at young ages. Their mother, Millie, died of Hodgkin's lymphoma in 1976, when Graham was 20 and his sister was 11. Their father, Florence James Graham, died of a heart attack 15 months later, according to the Times report.

"Lindsey was always my parent," Nordone told the Times. "There was no doubt in my mind or anyone else's mind that Lindsey was my guardian."

"He was a young man taking on a young girl and teenager to raise," Nordone said. "He was just dedicating all of that time to raising me and going to school and trying to get an education. There's just only so much time in a day."

Nordone also told the Times that Graham is "kind of like a brother, a father and a mother rolled into one."

SC Republicans will hold special primary

Graham was up for re-election in November, seeking his fifth term in the Senate. He prevailed over five primary challengers in June and was expected to face the Democratic nominee, Annie Andrews. Andrews, a pediatrician, previously lost a general election race for Mace's congressional seat in 2022.

South Carolina Republicans will have to hold a special primary to replace Graham as their nominee.

Several names have come up as possible contenders, including Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and outgoing U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, both of whom ran unsuccessfully for governor earlier this year and Rep. Russell Fry, who represents South Carolina's 7th congressional district. Former Rep. Trey Gowdy and current Rep. William Timmons have also been mentioned.

The special primary election will be held Aug. 11.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lindsey Graham's sister will fill his Senate seat after his sudden death

Reporting by Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, Bella Carpentier, Jay Stahl and Terry Collins, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect

This story was originally published July 13, 2026 at 1:42 PM.