Sen. Darline Graham Nordone, R-S.C., assumed her temporary seat on Tuesday after being nominated by Gov. Henry McMaster to serve out the rest of the year in her brother’s stead. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
President Donald Trump on Friday asked Sen. Darline Graham Nordone, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s sister to run for a full six-year term.
Graham Nordone, R-S.C., assumed her temporary seat on Tuesday after being nominated by Gov. Henry McMaster to serve out the rest of the year in her brother’s stead.
While Graham Nordone has not indicated a desire to run for a full term in November, Trump on Friday urged her to launch a campaign.
“Lindsey was one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known, and his sister shares his deep love of our Country, and the State of South Carolina,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “During her visit, I asked Darline, for the Good of our Nation, to run for the U.S. Senate in the Special Republican Primary on Tuesday, August 11, 2026.
“I hope Darline does this, in that there would be nobody better to honor the legacy of her beloved brother, Lindsey.”
Graham died suddenly on July 11 of a heart condition called an aortic dissection after serving in the Senate for 23 years.
South Carolina law allows McMaster to appoint a temporary replacement for the state’s vacant seat.
Trump called on the governor to appoint Graham Nordone to the seat as a tribute to her late brother.
Graham, 71, was running for a fifth term and had already won the nomination for November’s general election.
His death triggered a special primary in South Carolina to be held in August.
Graham Nordone, who previously had never held elected office, is the first South Carolina woman to serve in the Senate.
If elected, she would be in office until 2033.
“Darline, who comes from an absolutely incredible family, has been a WINNER all of her life and, should she accept, has my Complete and Total Endorsement in the Special Election for U.S. Senate in South Carolina – SHE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN. RUN, DARLINE, RUN!” Trump wrote.
This week in Washington
President Donald Trump delivers a prime-time address to the nation from the East Room of the White House on Thursday. Pool photo by Saul Loeb/UPI | License Photo
