Darline Graham Nordone was appointed to the caretaker role following her brother’s death on Saturday [Getty]
The sister of recently deceased US Senator Lindsey Graham has been appointed to serve the remainder of her late brother’s Senate term.
Darline Graham Nordone, Graham’s younger and only sibling, was appointed by South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster on Monday to serve until January, when a special election will determine who completes the rest of the term.
Nordone has never held elected office. Her appointment came after US President Donald Trump and senior Republicans publicly backed her to succeed her brother, placing their family connection at the centre of the decision.
“I think, in many respects, it would be a way of extending Lindsey’s legacy here, and certainly something that, if that’s what they decide to end up doing, I think there’d be a lot of support for,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said in an interview with CNN.
Trump also signalled his support for Nordone, describing her as Graham’s “wonderful sister”.
“This would be a fabulous tribute to Lindsey, who loved her dearly,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
With Graham gone and fellow Republican hawk Mitch McConnell sidelined in hospital, president is also working with a narrower majority in the Senate to help advance his legislative agenda.
Now in her brother’s post, Nordone enters the US Senate as Trump is attempting to push through military funding and approve nominees.
The ushering in of Graham’s sibling, however, did not go unnoticed by observers, with some questioning the state of US democracy.
“If this happened in some other country, we would laugh at their backwardness. Some in Washington would argue they must be bombed,” Iranian-Swedish political analyst Trita Parsi wrote on X.
“So we’re passing seats in the senate to family members? No elections, no voter choice? Quite the democracy,” wrote X user GenXGirl.
Under the US Constitution’s Seventeenth Amendment, a senate vacancy caused by a senator’s death may be filled by an appointee chosen by the governor “to complete the term or hold office until a special election can take place”.
While Nordone takes the role temporarily, a candidate filing will open later this month, with a Republican primary scheduled for 11 August.
