South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster tapped Darline Graham Nordone to finish former Sen. Lindsey Graham’s term after his sudden death over the weekend left a vacancy in the Senate.
McMaster announced Nordone as the interim replacement during a press conference outside the South Carolina statehouse on Monday, and she is expected to be sworn in on Tuesday. Nordone will serve in a caretaker role, McMaster said, meaning she’ll only serve until the term expires in January and won’t run for a full term.
“Today, under the law, it’s my duty to and honor to name someone to serve in the place of this irresistible man, this irreplaceable man, this extraordinary man, for the remainder of his term,” McMaster said on Monday.
McMaster said he spoke with Nordone on Sunday when he asked her to finish out the Senate term, and the governor later made the suggestion to President Donald Trump when she agreed.
Trump publicly recommended her to the position in a social media post on Monday. Several top Republicans in the Senate supported that decision, calling her an excellent choice.
“I want to thank the governor for selecting me to serve the remainder of Lindsey’s term. It is such an honor,” Nordone said in a speech on Monday after being named as her brother’s replacement. “Lindsey has always been there for me, and now I will be there for him.”
Republicans will still need to elect someone else as the party’s nominee for the general election in November. That special primary will need to be held by Aug. 11, according to the timeline laid out under state law.
That could attract a crowded primary as several Republican lawmakers have already expressed interest in the seat.
Who is Darline Graham Nordone?
Nordone has never served as an elected official before — but she has spent some time in the national spotlight as her brother ran for president in 2016 and cemented himself as a well-known figure on Capitol Hill.
In 1976, the siblings’ mother died of Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Fifteen months later, their father died of a heart attack. Graham, who was 20 at the time, decided he would become his then-13-year-old sister’s legal guardian and raise her while attending college. Nordone moved in with her aunt and uncle, and Graham would travel back from the University of South Carolina to care for her on the weekends.
Their bond became known nationally when Graham ran for president in 2016 as she appeared alongside him on the campaign trail. At one point, Graham, who never married or had children, joked that his sister could fulfill the role of first lady if he were elected to the White House.
Nordone, now 64, is a mother of two and has worked to help people with disabilities find jobs in South Carolina.
Medical examiner releases cause of death
The D.C. medical examiner’s office released a preliminary report on Sunday revealing Graham’s cause of death, showing he suffered from an aortic dissection caused by arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease. That dissection resulted in a tear in the body’s main artery, which typically occurs when there is high blood pressure.
Additional toxicological and microscopic tests are still being finalized, according to the report.
Graham died just hours after returning from a trip to Ukraine, during which he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump said he had spoken with Graham on the phone that night, telling CNN on Sunday morning that the senator sounded tired “but other than that, he was fine.”
Police scanner audio obtained by multiple outlets revealed that emergency medical responders responded to Graham’s home in Washington, D.C., to stabilize a man and transport him to the hospital.
Graham had just celebrated his 71st birthday on Thursday.
Republicans race to fill Graham’s committee assignments
Graham’s death leaves several positions to fill on Capitol Hill. The four-term senator served on a number of key committees in the Senate that are central to Republicans’ agenda ahead of the midterm elections.
Graham served as the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, the lead position to fulfill Trump’s $350 billion defense spending request through the reconciliation process — an arduous task that already faces an uphill battle in Congress. Graham has been one of the biggest advocates of a third reconciliation package while some Republicans have expressed skepticism there is enough time before the November elections.
Graham also holds positions on the Judiciary and Appropriations committees, which have crucial tasks to complete over the next few months.
The Judiciary Committee is tasked with confirming Todd Blanche as attorney general, officially replacing Pam Bondi, who was ousted in April. Blanche has been serving as the interim attorney general in the meantime but must be formally approved by the Senate.
Meanwhile, the Appropriations Committee must complete the 12 spending bills funding the federal government before the Oct. 1 deadline.
Senate Republican leaders will need to find senators to fill those vacancies.