Just hours after Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) died Saturday night of a sudden illness, President Donald Trump told NBC News he already had “somebody great” in mind to replace him on an interim basis, and on Monday, finally revealed that person’s identity.
“I recommended, to [South Carolina GOP] Governor Henry McMaster, Lindsey Graham’s wonderful sister, Darline, to serve as interim Senator from the Great State of South Carolina,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. “This would be a fabulous tribute to Lindsey, who loved her dearly!”
Darline Graham Nordone is the younger sister of the late senator, and has largely stayed out of the public eye. Graham adopted Nordone in his early 20s after their parents passed within 15 months of each other, which left Nordone orphaned as a child.
Per South Carolina law, McMaster may make an appointment to fill a vacant Senate seat on an interim basis. Graham’s death has also triggered a special GOP primary election, the winner of which will face off in the November general election.