South Carolina’s Governor Had Broad Authority to Fill Lindsey Graham’s Vacant Seat, But Choosing His Sister Has Renewed Debate Over Unelected Political Power
Three days after the sudden death of Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, his younger sister, Darline Graham Nordone, was sworn in to temporarily represent South Carolina in the U.S. Senate.
Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Nordone on Monday after Donald Trump publicly recommended her for the position. McMaster described her as Graham’s “darling little sister” and said she would help finish her brother’s work.
The appointment makes Nordone the first woman to represent South Carolina in the Senate. It also gives her the full voting authority of a United States senator despite the fact that she has never held elected office.
Her selection has prompted questions about why a Senate seat could seemingly pass from one member of a family to another and whether such appointments amount to an inheritance of political power.
Did Darline Graham Nordone Inherit the Senate Seat?
Legally, Nordone did not inherit her brother’s seat in the way someone might inherit property. She was appointed by South Carolina’s governor under the process established for temporarily filling a Senate vacancy.
The 17th Amendment allows state legislatures to authorize their governors to make temporary Senate appointments until voters choose a successor. South Carolina law gives its governor broad discretion to make that selection.
McMaster therefore had the legal authority to appoint Nordone, regardless of whether she had previously run for office.
Trump did not have the power to make the appointment himself, but he publicly urged McMaster to select Graham’s sister, calling the choice a fitting tribute to the late senator. McMaster announced her appointment shortly afterward.
Nordone will serve only through Jan. 3, 2027, when the winner of the November election is expected to take office. She is not automatically entitled to a full six-year term.
Who Is Darline Graham Nordone?
Nordone is Graham’s younger sister and has spent much of her career working in South Carolina government.
Although she has never held elected office, she is not entirely inexperienced in public administration. Since 2019, she has served as commissioner and agency head of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind, where she oversaw programs intended to help people who are blind or have low vision obtain employment and live independently.
She previously worked for Clemson University, the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce and the state Department of Vocational Rehabilitation. She also serves on the South Carolina State Workforce Development Board.
Nordone holds a bachelor’s degree from the College of Charleston and a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling from South Carolina State University.
Graham and Nordone shared a close relationship shaped by the deaths of their parents. Graham was 22 and Nordone was a teenager when their mother and father died within roughly 15 months of each other.
Nordone went to live with relatives while Graham continued his education and military service, but he helped care for her and later legally adopted her to ensure she could receive his military benefits if he died.
“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 said after her appointment. “I think this is what Lindsey would have wanted, and I plan to honor him in this way.”
What Authority Does She Have?
Nordone now possesses the same basic constitutional powers as every other senator.
She can vote on federal legislation, presidential nominees, judicial confirmations, treaties and federal spending. Her presence also helps Republicans maintain their Senate majority as Congress prepares to address defense funding, sanctions and other major legislation.
However, Nordone does not inherit the political influence Graham accumulated during more than two decades in the Senate.
Graham had served in the chamber since 2003 and developed considerable influence through his seniority, committee assignments, relationships and prominent role in foreign policy debates.
Republican Senate leaders will determine Nordone’s committee assignments. She must build her own relationships and standing within the chamber during what is expected to be a tenure of less than six months.
Why the Appointment Is Controversial
Critics argue that selecting Graham’s sister gives the appearance that an elected position was treated as a family possession rather than a public office.
Nordone did not campaign for the seat, participate in a primary or receive votes from South Carolina residents before being granted the authority to vote on legislation affecting the entire country.
Questions have also been raised about her views on abortion, healthcare, foreign policy, federal spending and other major issues. Nordone has made few detailed public statements explaining where she stands on those policies.
Supporters of the appointment point to her public-service background, her familiarity with Graham’s work and the short period she is expected to serve.
Her appointment also carries historical significance because South Carolina had never previously sent a woman to the U.S. Senate.
Family Members Have Filled Congressional Seats Before
The appointment is unusual, but relatives of deceased members of Congress have previously been selected to fill vacant seats.
The best-known version of the practice is sometimes called “widow’s succession.” Governors and political parties historically turned to the wives of lawmakers who died in office, viewing them as temporary custodians who could preserve political continuity until an election was held.
Hattie Caraway of Arkansas was appointed to the Senate in 1931 after the death of her husband, Sen. Thaddeus Caraway. She later won an election and became the first woman elected to a full Senate term.
Jean Carnahan was appointed to represent Missouri in 2001 after her husband, Gov. Mel Carnahan, died in a plane crash shortly before being elected to the Senate posthumously.
Family succession provided some women with an early path into Congress at a time when political parties rarely nominated women independently. However, the practice has also been criticized for preserving political influence within prominent families.
Nordone’s appointment appears to be the first known instance of a sister directly succeeding her deceased brother in the Senate.
What Happens Next?
Nordone’s appointment fills the remainder of Graham’s current term, but it does not determine who will hold the seat for the next six years.
Because Graham had already won the Republican nomination before his death, the South Carolina Republican Party must select a replacement candidate for the Nov. 3 general election.
Candidate filing is scheduled to run from July 21 through July 28. A special Republican primary will be held Aug. 11, with a runoff on Aug. 25 if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote.
The Republican nominee will face Democratic nominee Annie Andrews in November.
Nordone has not announced plans to compete in the special primary. For now, she is serving as a temporary senator with full voting authority but without any guarantee that her brief stewardship of her brother’s seat will extend beyond January.
