Bloomberg
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster picked Darline Graham Nordone to complete the remainder of the late US senator Lindsey Graham’s term, which expires in January.Nordone, Graham’s only sibling, is to serve out the remainder of the term.“I was humbled by your quickness to see the duty that you had to serve,” McMaster said in announcing his selection.
Newly appointed US interim Senator Darline Graham Nordone, with South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, right, and Senator Tim Scott, left, speaks to members of the press after being appointed of to fill the vacancy created by the passing of her brother, US senator Lindsey Graham, at the statehouse on Monday.
The governor also confirmed that the Republican primary to replace Graham on the ballot would be held on Aug. 11.US Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Nordone was to be sworn in yesterday afternoon.
A political novice, Nordone is seen by many analysts as a placeholder until voters elect a more seasoned candidate. US President Donald Trump and South Carolina’s other senator, Tim Scott, earlier endorsed Nordone for the seat.“Lindsey has always been there for me and now I will be there for him,” Nordone said at a brief event in Columbia, the state capital. “It is such a privilege to get to finish some of his important work, and I promise to work hard over the next several months to support the president and carry forward the efforts of my brother,” she said.The late senator legally adopted his younger sister following their parents’ deaths while Graham was in his early 20s and Nordone in her teens. Nordone worked to help people with disabilities find jobs, a profile in the New York Times said.She introduced Graham before his announced presidential run in 2015, recalling the role he played following their parents’ death. “He has never let me down,” she said of Graham at the time. She periodically joined him on the campaign trail, including at the Iowa state fair, and recently appeared in a campaign ad for Graham’s re-election.Since 2019, Nordone has served as commissioner of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind, McMaster’s office said. She has previously worked at Clemson University, the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce, and the South Carolina Department of Vocational Rehabilitation.In related news, Trump plans to support a Russia sanctions bill championed by Graham, said a White House official, a move that would intensify pressure on the Kremlin to end its war in Ukraine.The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter. Trump’s backing would be a major win for Ukraine, bolstering long-stalled efforts to punish buyers of Russian oil and natural gas.However, Trump sounded less committed to the bill, when asked by a reporter on Monday evening whether he supports it. “We’re talking about that,” Trump said. “We’ll decide very soon on that.”Graham, one of the Senate’s most ardent Republican supporters of Ukraine, died suddenly on Saturday. He had just returned to the US from a trip to Kyiv where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Graham and a bipartisan group of senators on Friday said they had reached an agreement with the Trump administration to move ahead with new Russia sanctions legislation.CNN reported earlier that Trump was backing the legislation.
