Darline Graham to fill Lindsey Graham’s Senate seat after sudden death

Darline Graham, sister of the late South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, is set to be sworn in by the US Senate on Tuesday afternoon, three days after his sudden death. South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster appointed her on Monday to serve the remaining months of her brother's current term.

A separate special election will be held next month to choose a new Republican nominee for the general election for the seat, which Lindsey Graham had been seeking to retain for a fifth term this year. Darline Graham will become South Carolina's first female senator. She has not previously held public office.

Darline Graham has worked as an optician and at various state agencies, including the South Carolina Commission for the Blind and the Department of Employment and Workforce. She is married to Larry Nordone, but will be known in the Senate as Darline Graham, her legal name.