President Donald Trump is encouraging Darline Graham Nordone to run for a full term in the U.S. Senate after she was appointed to the seat once held by her late brother, longtime South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham.
In a statement, Trump said he personally urged Nordone during a White House visit this week to enter the Republican special primary, praising her as “a spectacular person” and “a true American patriot.”
“I asked Darline, for the good of our nation, to run for the U.S. Senate,” Trump wrote, closing his message with a campaign-style appeal: “RUN, DARLINE, RUN!”
Trump also pledged his “complete and total endorsement” if Nordone launches a campaign, saying there is “nobody better” to carry forward her brother’s legacy.
The show of support immediately reshapes the Republican contest in South Carolina, where other potential contenders — including outgoing Congresswoman Nancy Mace, Congressman Russel Fry and others — had been eyeing the seat.
Nordone was appointed by South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster after Graham’s death to serve out the remainder of the Senate term.
“Today, under the law, it is my duty and honor to name someone to serve in the place of this extraordinary man for the remainder of his term,” McMaster said. “It is my honor to ask his little sister, Darline, to finish his work.”
Before Trump threw his support behind Nordone, the Republican field for Graham’s Senate seat had already begun to develop.
New interim Senator for South Carolina Darline Graham Nordone, sister of late Senator Lindsey Graham, is ceremonially sworn in on July 14
Late Senator Lindsey Graham hugs is sister Darline Graham Nordone on stage as he announces his candidacy for United States President in 2015
After Graham and Nordone’s parents died within roughly 15 months of one another, Graham became her legal guardian while still in his early 20s.
Businessmen Mark Lynch and Patrick Herrmann were the only Republicans to formally announce campaigns, while higher-profile figures including Representatives Nancy Mace, Ralph Norman, Russell Fry, and Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette were considering potential bids.
Trump’s surprise endorsement to appoint Nordone to serve as interim senator earlier this week quickly united several top South Carolina Republicans, with Senator Tim Scott calling her a “fantastic pick” and Rep. Nancy Mace throwing her support behind the president’s choice, calling it a “wonderful idea.”
While Nordone is a newcomer to elected office, she has spent decades in public service.
Before her appointment to the Senate, she worked with South Carolina’s Vocational Rehabilitation Department, where she focused on helping people with disabilities find employment.
She also served on the South Carolina Commission for the Blind and the state’s Workforce Development Board, building a career centered on disability advocacy and workforce development.
Nordone spent much of her life under her older brother’s wing. After both of their parents died within roughly 15 months of one another, Lindsey Graham became her legal guardian while still in his early 20s.
During his Air Force service, he later formally adopted his younger sister so she could receive military benefits—a chapter of their family’s history that Graham often spoke about publicly.
Although she had never held elected office before her Senate appointment, Nordone was no stranger to the political stage.
She frequently appeared alongside Lindsey Graham during his campaigns, introduced him at the launch of his 2015 presidential bid, and often spoke about the sacrifices he made to raise her after their parents’ deaths.
The battle for the Senate seat will heat up next month as a special Republican primary determines who will carry the GOP banner into November’s general election showdown against Democrat Annie Andrews.
