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Darline Graham, the sister of the late Republican senator Lindsey Graham, was sworn in to temporarily fill his Senate seat on Tuesday, just three days after his sudden death.
Graham was appointed by Henry McMaster, South Carolina’s governor, to fill the remainder of her brother’s current term.
Graham arrived in the Senate chamber, accompanied by Republican senators Tim Scott of South Carolina and Katie Britt of Alabama. Senator Chuck Grassley administered the oath of office – Darline placed her hand on a bible and pledged to “support and defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic”. When she finished, the somber chamber broke into extended applause.
Upon her swearing in, Darline, 62, made history as the first woman to represent South Carolina in the Senate. Moments later, she cast her first vote as a US senator to advance the $1.15tn annual defense authorization bill, though it failed in a 50-46 tally.
Lindsey died on Saturday night, aged 71, after what his office called a “brief and sudden illness”. The chief medical examiner then preliminarily ruled on Sunday that he died of aortic dissection due to cardiovascular disease.
With the backing of Donald Trump, Darline was swiftly appointed to serve the remaining months of his Senate term, which ends on 3 January.
“Lindsey spent his whole life looking out for his sister, Darline, and it’s a wonderful tribute that she is now carrying his legacy of service across the finish line,” Scott, who became the senior senator from South Carolina after Lindsey’s death, said in a statement on Tuesday. “I’m honored to welcome Senator Graham to the Senate, and I look forward to working closely together to continue serving South Carolinians and building on the legacy of Lindsey Graham in the months ahead.”
In brief remarks at a press conference on Monday, Darline said it was an “honor” to replace her older brother – who became her legal guardian after their parents died when she was a girl – in the Senate. She said he had always been there for her and vowed “now, I will be there for him.”
“I promise to work hard over the next several months to support the president and carry forward the efforts of my brother on behalf of the citizens of South Carolina and the United States,” she said. “I think this is what Lindsey would have wanted, and I plan to honor him in this way.”
At the time of his death, Graham was seeking a fifth Senate term, having won the Republican nomination only last month.The state GOP will hold a separate special election on 11 August to choose a new Senate nominee, who will face off against Democrat Annie Andrews in the November midterms.
Darline has never held public office, but was a steady presence at her brother’s side, supporting his political career as his national profile grew. Since 2019, she has served as commissioner of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind, according to McMaster’s office. Before that, she held positions at Clemson University and in two South Carolina state agencies.
A mother of two, she is married to Larry Nordone. According to the senator’s office, she will be addressed as Senator Graham.
