Newsweek28%
Lindsey Graham’s Sister Darline Graham Nordone Appointed to His Senate Seat 16%
By Daniel Orton11% Gabe Whisnant19%
7/13/2026, 3:05:25 PM
BS Summary: This article contains 29 faulty reasoning types, including Post Hoc (False Cause), Halo Effect, and Availability Heuristic, with Appeal to Emotion as the most egregious example at 21.1% saturation with 422 hits. Analysis detected 2,854 faulty-reasoning hits from 1,997 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 32.2% and a BS Rank of 16% (13,225 of 15,743 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 84.00% of the article peer group.
President Donald Trump on Monday recommended that South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster appoint Darline Graham Nordone, the sister of late Senator Lindsey Graham, to serve as an interim U.S. senator.
"I recommended, to Governor Henry McMaster, Lindsey Graham's wonderful sister, Darline, to serve as interim Senator from the Great State of South Carolina," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
"This would be a fabulous tribute to Lindsey, who loved her dearly!"
A few hours later, McMaster, a Republican, appointed Nordone to fill her brother's seat until January.
He said she "agreed through tears" when they spoke this week following Graham's sudden passing.
Nordone is expected to be sworn in on Tuesday.
"It is such a privilege to get to finish some of his important work," she said at a brief ceremony in Columbia, South Carolina.
"I know Lindsey thought the world of his staff and colleagues, and with their support I feel confident."
Nordone, 62, continued, "I think this is what Lindsey would have wanted, and I plan to honor him in this way."
She paused and looked upward and said, "To Lindsey, I miss you more than I can even put into words, but I'm going to do this.
I've got it."
Trump's endorsement instantly thrust Nordone into the conversation over who could fill the Senate vacancy left by Graham's death at age 71.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota echoed the president's support for Nordone in an interview Monday on CNN.
Tim Scott, South Carolina's junior senator, has spoken several times with Graham’s sister since his death, the Associated Press reported.
Scott was also present at Monday's ceremony.
Scott posted on Monday on X, "The appointment of Darline Graham Nordone to the U.S.
Senate is an incredible way to honor the legacy of Lindsey Graham.
Nobody understands Lindsey Graham’s heart for faith, family, and South Carolina the way she does.
I look forward to working alongside her to continue Senator Graham’s commitment to keeping Americans safe and secure."
Democratic Representative James Clyburn, South Carolina's longest-serving member of Congress, congratulated Nordone on her appointment.
"While this moment comes in the shadow of the profound loss of her beloved brother, it is my hope that we will continue to diligently work together as we have in the past," Clyburn posted on X.
"I wish her success as she takes on this new role, and I have confidence we will use every opportunity in the months ahead to do all we can to help make America’s greatness accessible and affordable for all."
Newsweek has reached out to McMaster's office via email on Monday morning for comment.
Who is Darline Graham Nordone?
Lindsey Graham Survived by Sister
Graham is survived by his younger sister, Darline Graham Nordone, who was widely regarded as the closest member of his family.
Graham never married and did not have children, instead often pointing to the close bond he shared with his sister.
Nordone and Graham grew up in Central, South Carolina, where their parents, Millie and F.J.
Graham, operated the Sanitary Cafe, a combination restaurant, bar and pool hall.
The family lived modestly, at one point residing in a room behind the business.
Their lives changed dramatically when their mother died of Hodgkin's lymphoma in 1976, the Post and Courier reported.
About 15 months later, their father died of a heart attack, leaving Graham, then a college student in his early 20s, responsible for his teenage sister.
According to the Post and Courier, Graham later adopted Nordone after joining the Air Force so she could receive military benefits.
He became her legal guardian and helped raise her into adulthood.
Nordone has worked as an optician and held positions at several South Carolina state agencies, including the Commission for the Blind and the Department of Employment and Workforce.
A resident of Lexington, she graduated from the College of Charleston and earned a master's degree in rehabilitation counseling.
During Graham's 2015 presidential campaign, Nordone appeared alongside him at events and offered a glimpse into his private life.
"Lindsey was always my parent," she told The New York Times, recalling the role he played after their parents' deaths.
Graham's sister remained a constant presence throughout her brother's political career, appearing at campaign events and in several of his advertisements.
Nordone stood alongside him when he filed for reelection earlier this year, joined by her children and grandchildren.
Darline Graham Nordone Family: What We Know About Husband and Kids
Darline Graham Nordone is married to Larry Nordone and has two children.
While Lindsey Graham spent decades in the national spotlight, Nordone and her family have largely maintained a private life.
Her family remained mostly outside politics despite her close relationship with the late senator.
“She’s (Nordone) played a big role in my life,” Graham told Politico in 2015 amid his short-lived presidential campaign.
“Yes, she’ll play a big role in the campaign.
She’s my No. 1 fan.
Of all the things I’m proud of, how she turned out, I’m proud of the most.”
Who Could Replace Lindsey Graham on the November Ballot?
Graham's death Saturday from an aortic dissection, according to a preliminary medical examiner's report, immediately triggered speculation within South Carolina Republican circles about who could replace the four-term senator and longtime Trump ally on the November ballot.
Representative Joe Wilson, whose name surfaced in early discussions, said Sunday that he told Trump he intends to remain in the House and help preserve Republicans' narrow majority.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has also fielded inquiries about a potential Senate bid, but people familiar with his thinking say he is not interested and prefers to remain in the administration.
Bessent, a South Carolina native, praised McMaster's appointment of Graham's sister, Darline Graham Nordone, as interim senator, writing on X that he could think of "no more fitting tribute" to Graham's legacy than seeing her carry it forward.
He said he expected Nordone to provide "strong constituent services" while helping advance Trump's agenda.
Attention is now shifting to a growing field of potential Republican contenders.
Scott Huffmon, a political science professor at Winthrop University, told Newsweek that Representative Ralph Norman would "definitely consider" a run, while former South Carolina Governor, U.N.
Ambassador and GOP presidential hopeful Nikki Haley would be a formidable candidate if she chose to enter the race.
Huffmon also cited Lieutenant Governor Pam Evette as a possibility, though he noted that her recent defeat in the Republican gubernatorial runoff could complicate a campaign.
Representatives Nancy Mace, who has been weighing a bid according to a person familiar with her thinking, and Russell Fry also are among the Republicans drawing attention as the race begins to take shape.
Businessman Mark Lynch, whom Graham defeated in last month's Republican primary, has been mentioned as a potential contender, as has former Governor Mark Sanford, who served two separate stints in the U.S.
House.
The wide-ranging speculation comes just weeks after South Carolina's closely watched Republican governor's race, in which several of the names now being floated for the Senate seat—including Evette, Mace and Norman—were involved.
That contest ended with Attorney General Alan Wilson securing the GOP nomination after defeating Evette in a June runoff.
Mace fueled further speculation Sunday when she posted on X after Graham's death was announced: "Just when I thought I was out… they pull me back in…"
Evette, meanwhile, has declined to discuss her political future.
Speaking to CBS News after paying tribute to Graham as a public servant who always acted according to his convictions, she said the focus should remain on honoring his life and legacy rather than the contest to succeed him.
Democrats have already settled on their nominee.
Charleston pediatrician Annie Andrews won the party's June primary and will advance directly to the Nov. 3 special election.
South Carolina's Accelerated Election Timeline
Under South Carolina law, the filing period for a special primary election opens on the second Tuesday following a candidate’s death, which in this case would be July 21, and lasts one week.
The special primary would then be held on August 11, the second Tuesday after the filing period closes.
If no candidate secures a majority, a runoff election would follow on August 25.
The eventual nominee would then have a little more than two months to campaign ahead of the November 3 general election.
The timeline could create complications because federal law generally requires military and overseas ballots to be sent at least 45 days before a federal election.
For the November 3 general election, that deadline would have fallen on June 27.
Officials with the Federal Election Commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment on how the requirements would apply in this situation.
Democrat Annie Andrews Awaits Republican Opponent
Graham's death has also reshaped the broader political landscape in South Carolina, though history suggests Republicans remain heavily favored to hold the seat.
No Democrat has won a U.S.
Senate race in the state since 1998, and statewide Republican candidates have routinely won by double-digit margins.
Graham himself secured a fourth term in 2020, defeating Democrat Jaime Harrison by about 10 percentage points.
Still, Democrats headed into the race with an established nominee and a sizable fundraising operation.
Andrews won the Democratic primary last month and had raised more than $8 million, according to federal campaign finance filings.
She reported just under $3 million cash on hand at the end of May, compared with the more than $4 million remaining in Graham's campaign account.
In a statement Sunday, Andrews called on South Carolinians to join her "in setting partisanship aside and offering gratitude" for Graham's decades of public service.
What Did Lindsey Graham Die From?
A preliminary examination has identified aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease as the possible cause of death for Senator Lindsey Graham, according to the Office of the Medical Examiner of the District of Columbia on Sunday.
Officials said the findings remain preliminary and that the death certificate will remain pending while additional toxicological and microscopic testing is completed.
His office initially described his death as occurring after a "brief and sudden illness" and asked for privacy for his family.
Graham, a former Air Force attorney, had served in Congress for more than three decades and had recently returned from a trip to Ukraine.
Thune noted it was Graham's 10th visit to the country and said the senator had "died with his boots on," a tribute to his long record of public service and active engagement in foreign affairs.
"I want to pay my respects to Lindsey [Graham].
A friend to all of us ... it's hard to believe he's gone," Trump told reporters Monday in the Oval Office.
"He spoke to me just before he passed away.
He got back, felt fine, was a little tired, then this whole thing happened.
Boy, it's tough.
The flags are at half-mast until Saturday evening.
He deserves it."
Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas says he wants to see the results of Graham's toxicology report.
“Given where he was and the sorts of things he was advocating for, I think we just ought to resolve all those questions by seeing what the toxicology reports show," Cornyn told NBC News.
Why Did Lindsey Graham Never Marry?
Graham never married and had no children.
In his 2015 memoir, My Story, he attributed this largely to timing, writing that he never found the right opportunity or the right person at the right time.
He said: "I've never married.
I guess I attribute that to timing."
Nordone told The New York Times during Graham's 2015 presidential campaign that her brother effectively put his own life on hold to care for her.
"He was a young man taking on a young girl and teenager to raise," she said, suggesting that his dedication to raising her may have contributed to his remaining unmarried.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Ben Kelly and Gray R.
Thomas
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