Trump Taps Darline Graham Nordone For South Carolina Senate Seat

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President Donald Trump waded into South Carolina politics Monday, recommending Governor Henry McMaster appoint Darline Graham Nordone to complete the Senate term of her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham.

Hours later, McMaster agreed. At a Monday afternoon press conference, Nordone accepted the appointment through tears, surrounded by South Carolina lawmakers.

She said that after years of her brother caring for her, she was honored to be there for him.

“Of all the things that have happened in my life, her turning out so well is the highlight of it by far.” — Sen. Lindsey Graham on his sister Darline, 2015

There is precedent for what’s known as “widow succession” in American politics — dozens of women have entered Congress this way since 1922. Nordone, though Graham’s sister rather than his wife, is the late senator’s closest living relative.

The siblings were always close. In a campaign video years ago, Nordone recalled their parents as truly kind people, but said Lindsey was always the one who stepped in to take care of her — when she was sick, with homework, even teaching her to ride her first bicycle.

Both parents passed away within months of each other when Lindsey Graham turned 22.

Without hesitation, he stepped up to raise his little sister. While finishing college and law school, he spent weekends at home with Nordone, who was living with an aunt and uncle. When he joined the U.S. Air Force, he made sure she finished high school and went to college — and officially adopted her so she could receive military benefits and insurance.

Nordone recalled feeling the weight of being orphaned at just 13 years old.

“[Lindsey] was like ‘I am so sorry, but it’s going to be OK. I’m going to take care of you.’ And he did. He’s always been there for me, no matter what,” she said.

When Graham launched his political career, Nordone stood by his side. She made the case for him across South Carolina, telling constituents her big brother wanted to take care of them — the way he had taken care of her was proof.

In January 2015, Nordone held the Bible while her brother was sworn in by then-Vice President Joe Biden for his third Senate term. Biden joked that he and Graham had “something in common: sisters who are brighter and better looking than we are.”

Graham sparked laughs when he introduced his niece, Nicole, to Biden, saying, “He’s a good man, even though he’s a Democrat.”

When Lindsey Graham announced his 2016 White House run in 2015, Nordone introduced him.

They were close enough that Graham once joked Nordone would have to be his First Lady. In a 2015 C-Span interview, he declared her the single greatest accomplishment of his life.

“He’s kind of like a brother, a father, and a mother rolled into one,” Nordone said of her brother. She suggested the sacrifices he made to care for her might have been part of the reason he never married.

“He was a young man taking on a young girl and teenager to raise. 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 never ventured into politics herself. Her professional life involved helping people with disabilities find jobs. She eventually became director of public information for the South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Department, then worked as a commissioner for the South Carolina Commission for the Blind, which assists state residents who are blind or visually impaired.

Still, Graham said in 2015 that there would be no one better to represent the country if it came to that.

“If she took a role on, she would be a great representative of our country. I can’t think of a better person to represent our country in an event than my sister,” he declared.

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