Darline Graham Nordone was officially sworn in as the interim United States Senator from South Carolina on Tuesday, stepping into the seat left vacant by her late brother Lindsey Graham, as Trending Politics reported. The ceremony took place on the Senate floor just days after Lindsey Graham's sudden death, which is the kind of timeline that really puts your own procrastination into perspective.
Senate President pro tempore Chuck Grassley administered the oath of office after Nordone was escorted to the dais by South Carolina Senator Tim Scott and Alabama Senator Katie Britt. Senators from both parties were present and applauded, which is about as bipartisan as Washington gets these days. A ceremonial photo was taken afterward with Grassley, Nordone's husband Larry Nordone, and other family members at the Capitol.
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster appointed Nordone the day before, on July 13, 2026. She will serve the remainder of her brother's term, which expires in January. A special primary election is scheduled for August to pick the Republican nominee for the November general election, so this is going to be a very short commute into Washington before someone else takes over.
"Lindsey has always been there for me. And now I will be there for him," Nordone said after the ceremony. "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 on behalf of the citizens of South Carolina and the United States."
Nordone will go by Darline Graham in the Senate, which keeps things simple and avoids any confusion at the dry cleaner. She has zero prior experience in elected office, which, depending on your opinion of the Senate, is either a red flag or a selling point.
Her background is actually pretty impressive for someone who never ran for anything. She has been commissioner of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind since 2019, serves on the state's Workforce Development Board, and is president-elect of the National Council of State Agencies for the Blind. Previous roles include positions at Clemson University and various South Carolina state agencies. She holds a bachelor's degree from the College of Charleston and a master's in rehabilitation counseling.
The family backstory here is genuinely remarkable. After their mother died of Hodgkin's lymphoma in 1976 and their father died of a heart attack just 15 months later, Lindsey Graham became his sister's legal guardian. He was 22 and just starting law school. She was 13. He later adopted her so she could receive his military benefits from his service as an Air Force lawyer. That is the kind of sibling bond that makes the rest of us feel guilty for not returning our brother's texts.
Throughout Lindsey Graham's political career, Nordone was a constant presence, attending events and even appearing in a 2014 campaign ad for his Senate reelection. Now she gets to finish what he started, if only for a few months.
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