Lindsey Graham's Sister Appointed to Fill His Senate Seat
Lindsey Graham Trump-Backed Sister Picked to Finish Senate Term
Published
Lindsey Graham's Senate seat is staying in the family ... with his sister officially tapped to take over after the longtime South Carolina senator's sudden death.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster announced Monday that Darline Graham Nordone will serve out the remainder of her late brother's term ... just hours after President Donald Trump publicly threw his support behind the move, urging she be appointed to fill the vacancy.
Darline may be new to elected office, but she's no newcomer to Lindsey's political orbit. The mother of two was one of his closest advisers, regularly appeared in his campaign ads ... and during his 2015 presidential run, Lindsey even joked she'd be his first lady because he never married.
As TMZ reported, Lindsey died Saturday at 71 after suffering a tear in his aorta. The shocking loss rocked Washington ... with Trump later revealing they'd spoken just hours before Graham's death and calling him "one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known."
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South Carolina law requires Republicans to hold a special election to pick a permanent replacement ... but Gov. McMaster was free to appoint an interim senator. Darline will hold the seat through January as several prominent South Carolina Republicans gear up for what's expected to be a crowded race.
Candidate filing opens July 21, with the GOP primary set for Aug. 11. For now, it's still anyone's guess whether Darline plans to jump into the race herself.
