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4h ago

McMaster Appoints Darline Nordone to Fill Lindsey Graham’s Senate Seat

The temporary pick restores a Republican Senate vote and triggers an expedited special-election calendar that will name a longer-term successor.

FILE - Darline Graham Nordone, sister of Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., walks to the stage before his announcement for presidency on Monday, June 1, 2015, in Central, S.C. (AP Photo/Rainier Ehrhardt, File)
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FILE - Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., right, hugs his sister Darline Graham Nordone, after announcing his bid for presidency, June 1, 2015, in Central, S.C. (AP Photo/Rainier Ehrhardt, File)

Overview

  • Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Darline Graham Nordone on Monday to fill the vacancy created when Sen. Lindsey Graham died on July 11.
  • Nordone has not held elective office and built her career in state disability and vocational-rehabilitation roles, including work with the South Carolina Commission for the Blind.
  • President Trump publicly urged McMaster to choose Nordone, and senior Senate Republicans including Sen. Tim Scott and Sen. John Thune voiced support for the appointment.
  • Under state law Nordone will serve temporarily while South Carolina moves an accelerated calendar with candidate filing beginning July 21, a special Republican primary on August 11, and the general election on November 3.
  • The appointment restores a short-term GOP vote in the Senate, creates near-term jockeying for the August primary, and echoes long-standing U.S. precedents of family members filling congressional vacancies.