{"id":2629321,"date":"2026-07-13T20:26:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T00:26:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/what-to-know-about-darline-graham-nordone-south-carolinas-new-senator\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T20:28:46","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T00:28:46","slug":"what-to-know-about-darline-graham-nordone-south-carolinas-new-senator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/what-to-know-about-darline-graham-nordone-south-carolinas-new-senator\/","title":{"rendered":"What to know about Darline Graham Nordone, South Carolina&#8217;s new senator"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwhat-to-know-about-darline-graham-nordone-south-carolinas-new-senator%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2629321&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Governor Henry McMaster (R-SC) appointed Darline Graham Nordone to fill the vacant South carolina Senate seat following the sudden death of her brother,Senator Lindsey Graham,to complete his term. Nordone has a long history of involvement in her brother\u2019s political career and has also built a career in public service, notably as commissioner of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind and as president of the National Council of State agencies for the Blind since January 2026. President Donald Trump and Senator Tim Scott endorsed her appointment, which also honors Lindsey Graham&#8217;s legacy. Nordone\u2019s appointment continues a tradition of family members succeeding deceased congress members, with her becoming South Carolina\u2019s first female senator. she lives in Lexington, SC, is married with two daughters, and her appointment sets the stage for a special primary and upcoming election to determine her successor in the Senate.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gov. Henry McMaster (R-SC) appointed <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/darline-graham-nordone\/\">Darline Graham Nordone<\/a> on Monday to fill the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/senate\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"8765\">Senate<\/a> seat left vacant by the unexpected death of her brother, Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/lindsey-graham\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"737\">Lindsey Graham<\/a>, to complete the remainder of his term.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A special <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/republican\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"926\">Republican<\/a> primary next month will determine which <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/gop\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1577\">GOP<\/a> candidate advances to the November general election to face <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/democratic\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1964\">Democratic<\/a> nominee Annie Andrews.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4646998\/lindsey-graham-sister-darline-sworn-in-senate-tuesday\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Lindsey Graham\u2019s sister to be sworn in to the Senate on Tuesday<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4646740\/lindsey-graham-death-gop-foreign-policy\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Lindsey Graham\u2019s death raises questions over GOP foreign policy direction<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4646780\/rand-paul-fauci-hearing-gain-of-function-funding\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Rand Paul to \u2018confront\u2019 Fauci with hearing on gain-of-function research funding<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nordone has long been a fixture in her brother\u2019s political career, standing alongside him at campaign events, speeches, and even in television advertisements. But their relationship extended beyond politics.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After their mother died of Hodgkin lymphoma in 1976, the siblings faced another tragedy 15 months later when their father died of a heart attack. Nordone, then 13, discovered his body. Graham, just 22 years old and beginning law school at the University of South Carolina, became his younger sister\u2019s legal guardian.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rather than pursuing his own ambitions, Graham said his top priority became raising his sister.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full\">Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., right, hugs his sister Darline Graham Nordone, after announcing his bid for presidency on Monday, June 1, 2015, in Central, S.C. (AP Photo\/Rainier Ehrhardt)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/07\/localimages\/AP692552967239.jpg?w=696&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), right, hugs his sister Darline Graham Nordone, after announcing his bid for presidency on Monday, June 1, 2015, in Central, South Carolina. (AP Photo\/Rainier Ehrhardt)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI can remember the day my father passed away, standing in the living room of that house, absolutely scared to death,\u201d Nordone told NPR in 2015. \u201cLindsey wrapped his arms around me and promised me he would always be there for me and always take care of me.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After their father\u2019s death, Nordone moved in with relatives in nearby Seneca while Graham assumed legal responsibility for her care prior to joining the Air Force.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Graham, who never married or had children, often described his sister as his greatest accomplishment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Speaking to C-SPAN in 2015, he said her success \u201cis the highlight of it, by far.\u201d During his 2016 presidential campaign, he joked that Nordone could be among a \u201crotating\u201d cast of White House hosts serving in the role traditionally filled by a first lady.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Outside politics, Nordone built a decades-long career in public service. In 2019, she was appointed commissioner of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind, which provides vocational training and other services to residents who are blind or have low vision. Since January 2026, she has also served as president of the National Council of State Agencies for the Blind.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hours before McMaster announced the appointment, President<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\"> Donald Trump<\/a> urged the governor to select Nordone, calling her appointment \u201ca fabulous tribute to Lindsey, who loved her dearly!\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tim-scott\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"521\">Tim Scott <\/a>(R-SC) also endorsed the selection before it was announced.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAfter speaking with Darline, there is no one better who understands Lindsey\u2019s love for family, our state, and our country,\u201d Scott <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/votetimscott\/status\/2076691199075766769\">posted<\/a> on X. After the appointment, he called it \u201can incredible way to honor the legacy\u201d of Graham and said he looked forward to working with her \u201cto continue Senator Graham\u2019s commitment to keeping Americans safe and secure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Graham, first elected to the Senate in 2002, became one of Washington\u2019s most influential voices on foreign policy, frequently advocating U.S. military engagement overseas. He was also one of Trump\u2019s closest allies in the upper chamber. Before his death, Republicans held a 53-47 Senate majority, making the race to permanently fill his seat part of the broader battle for control of the chamber in November.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4646998\/lindsey-graham-sister-darline-sworn-in-senate-tuesday\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4646998\/lindsey-graham-sister-darline-sworn-in-senate-tuesday\/\">LINDSEY GRAHAM\u2019S SISTER TO BE SWORN IN TO THE SENATE ON TUESDAY<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nordone\u2019s appointment also follows a long tradition of <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >relatives temporarily succeeding deceased members<\/a> of Congress. According to the House of Representatives, 45 widows have directly succeeded their late husbands in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/congress\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"31\">Congress<\/a>, including 38 in the House and eight in the Senate. While sibling appointments are far less common, governors have periodically turned to close family members to fill vacancies until voters choose a permanent replacement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nordone is married, lives in Lexington, South Carolina, and has two daughters. She will be the Palmetto State\u2019s first female senator. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gov. McMaster appoints Lindsey Graham\u2019s sister to Senate seat<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4195,"featured_media":2629322,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26194748412879.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[82672,5045,5894,4012,41960],"class_list":["post-2629321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-darline-graham-nordone","tag-government","tag-politics","tag-senator","tag-south-carolina"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26194748412879.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2629321","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4195"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2629321"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2629321\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2629325,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2629321\/revisions\/2629325"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2629322"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2629321"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2629321"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2629321"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}