Lindsey Graham’s sister has been nominated to fill her remaining term in the US Senate
Lindsey Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, has been nominated as her late brother’s interim replacement in the US Senate.
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster announced at a press conference at the state headquarters on Monday that Nordone will serve the remaining months of Graham’s term, which ends in January. A person familiar with the nomination process but not authorized to speak publicly said Nardone will be sworn in on Wednesday. She will be the first woman to represent the country in the US Senate.
“It’s such a privilege,” Nordone said. “Lindsey has always been there for me. And now, I’m going to be there for her.”
Graham died at the weekend at the age of 71. He never married or had a family of his own, but Nordone often sided with his brother in the political aspects of his career, speaking at events and appearing in some of his campaign ads.
After their parents died when they were young, Graham was left to raise his sister, who later became his legal guardian. They were very close, and she was there when he filed for re-election earlier this year, along with his children and grandchildren.
Longtime Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has died suddenly at age 71 of a ruptured aorta. Graham was once a staunch critic of President Donald Trump, but eventually became an ardent supporter.
A special election next month
There will be a special election next month to choose the Republican nominee for the general election to replace Graham. He was seeking a fifth term this year.
The rare open Senate seat created a frenzy among South Carolina’s ambitious conservatives, who were eager to climb the political ladder.
Republicans have just finished an intense and bruising race to find a replacement for McMaster, who is wrapping up his second term. State Attorney General Alan Wilson won the nomination, defeating a field that included Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, Rep. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman – all now eyeing Graham’s seat following his death at the weekend.
How will the special primary work?
According to South Carolina law, the one-week period to file for a special election begins on the second Tuesday after the candidate’s death, or July 21.
A special primary election will be held on the second Tuesday after that filing period closes, or on Aug. 11. Any repetition required will follow two weeks after that, or on Aug. 25.
From then, the new nominee will have just over two months to campaign for the November 3 general election.
All of this is problematic under federal law, which requires military and overseas ballots to be out 45 days before any federal election. For the special primary election, that would be June 27. Officials with the U.S. Federal Election Commission did not immediately return a message seeking clarification on the process.
Who can replace Graham?
Graham died Saturday night, and the initial medical examiner’s report said he had torn his aorta, known as aortic dissection.
Hours after Graham’s death was announced, South Carolina Republican circles were already abuzz with rumors about a possible ouster.
Evette, who has worked with McMaster for nearly eight years and received an endorsement in the governor’s race, is one possibility. He lost the June 23 race to Wilson.
A person familiar with Evette’s reasoning but not authorized to discuss it publicly said she is getting encouragement from the entire district and feels she will have a good chance at a special school.
It is unlikely that any member of the House will be elected to finish out Graham’s current term, since Republicans have such a slim majority in the house.
However, that does not mean that members of the House will not run for the next full term. A person with knowledge of Mace’s thinking but not authorized to speak about it publicly said he is considering a race. Mace is not running for re-election to the House.
But another Republican from the state, Rep. Russell Fry, maybe. The two-term attorney represents the growing area around Myrtle Beach, and has been a close friend of Trump.
Businessman Mark Lynch, who lost to Graham in the primary, could also jump into the race. A person familiar with but not authorized to speak publicly about the thinking of Mark Sanford – the former governor of South Carolina who also served two separate terms in the US House – said he was considering it.
What effect does Graham’s death have on the general election?
No Democrat has won a Senate seat in South Carolina in decades, and Republicans in recent history have often taken statewide seats by double digits. In his last run in 2020, Graham defeated his Democratic rival, Jaime Harrison, by 10 percentage points.
So while history suggests Graham was on his way to a fifth term, Republicans are carefully assessing the state of affairs.
Charleston pediatrician Annie Andrews won the Democratic nomination last month and raised more than $8 million in the race, and had less than $3 million at the end of May, according to federal filings. Graham had taken US$6 million, with just over US$4 million on hand.
In a statement Sunday, Andrews asked South Carolinians to join him in “putting a side aside and giving thanks” to Graham for his work.
Harrison, noting that he and Graham have “had our share of political disagreements,” wrote on social media that he “always appreciates that even in our brutal political battles, we can still talk, laugh, and respect each other for South Carolina and the institutions we’ve been privileged to work for.”
