Lindsey Graham’s sister appointed to fill his South Carolina Senate seat

Following the sudden death of Senator Lindsey Graham, R.S.C., South Carolina’s Republican Governor Henry McMaster appointed Graham’s younger sister, Darline Graham, to fill the seat for the remainder of his term, continuing the legacy of family members stepping in to wrest the reins of power from their relatives.

When Darline is sworn in Tuesday afternoon, it will be the last time a U.S. lawmaker takes the seat vacated by a deceased family member.

Representative Julia Letlow

Rep. Julia Letlow, R-La., is a favorite of President Donald Trump and has Trump’s support in his ongoing campaign to represent Louisiana in the U.S. Senate.

“Did you call 911?” TUBERVILLE TOLD GRAHAM’S CRAZY LAST PHONE CALL

Her political career began years ago, when Julia’s husband, Luke Letlow, died of COVID-19 complications in December 2020, a month after residents of Louisiana’s 5th district elected him as their congressman.

Although Luke Letlow never took the oath of office, his widow took the torch, entered the race and won the 2021 special election to fill the House seat.

GRAHAM ALLY ROCKS ‘THIRST’ REPUBLICANS WHO TRY TO TALK TO REPLACE THE LATE SENATOR

Representative Adelita Grijalva

On the other side of the aisle, D-Ariz. Representative Adelita Grijalva was also pushed into the halls of Congress after the tragedy of a loved one.

Grijalva’s father, former Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., died of lung cancer in March 2025. Raúl had already announced that he would not seek re-election after 22 years in Congress.

U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., speaks before the signing of the moratorium on mining in the Grand Canyon area in Washington, D.C., on Monday, Jan. 9, 2012. (Joshua Roberts/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Six months later, Adelita Grijalva won a special election for her father’s seat, defeating Republican candidate Daniel Butierez Sr. by more than 40,000 votes. results published By the Arizona secretary of state.

TRUMP ANNOUNCED WHO HE SPECIFIED TO REPLACE LINDSEY GRAHAM

Although Democrats were outraged when House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) initially delayed his swearing-in, he officially became a member of the U.S. House of Representatives on November 12, 2025.

Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) poses for a photo with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) during the swearing-in ceremony at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on November 12, 2025. Grijalva won a special election on Sept. 23 to replace his late father, Rep. Raul Grijalva. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Erica Lee Carter

Former Rep. Erica Lee Carter, D-Texas, also rose to Congress as a result of the death of a parent.

Carter’s mother, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, was a stalwart progressive as the representative of Texas’ 18th Congressional district, which included parts of Houston, from 1995 until her death in 2024.

President Joe Biden takes a selfie with Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, after delivering the State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on February 7, 2023. (Jacquelyn Martin-Pool/Getty Images)

Although Jackson Lee won the Democratic primary for the 2024 election in March 2024, he tragically died of pancreatic cancer just four months later.

The Democratic Party, including Erica Lee Carter, initially rallied around former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner to replace Jackson Lee in November’s special election. However, shortly after endorsing Turner, Lee Carter changed his mind and decided to run to complete his mother’s term. Turner left and Lee Carter won the election by nearly 100,000 votes. results published By the Texas secretary of state.

Rep. Erica Lee Carter talks about her mother during the dedication of 1111 Fannin after Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee on Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Houston. (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

Lee Carter chose not to run for re-election, completing her mother’s term in January 2025 and opting to cede the party’s nomination for the seat to Turner.

Although Turner won the seat and was sworn in on January 3, 2025, he would last only two months in office and die of bone cancer in March.

Mary Bono

Arguably the most famous example of a spouse stepping into the shoes of their deceased partner is the story of Sonny Bono, who toured the United States for years with his then-wife, pop icon Cher, as one half of the iconic musical duo Sonny and Cher.

American singer-songwriter, producer, actor, and politician Sonny Bono (1935-1998) and his then-wife, American singer, actor, and television personality Cher, were an American rock duo in the 1960s and 1970s. (Jeff Hochberg/Getty Images)

Bono and Cher would eventually divorce, and after marrying and divorcing a third wife, Bono married his fourth and final wife, Mary Whitaker, in 1986.

Sonny ran for U.S. Congress as a Republican in 1994 and won a seat as representative of California’s 44th district.

But when Bono tragically died in a skiing accident in 1998, his wife, then known as Mary Bono, ran in a special election to fill his seat. Mary Bono served 15 years in Congress, but lost her seat to Democratic challenger Raul Ruiz after her district was redrawn in 2013.

Rep. Mary Bono Mack, R-Calif., co-founder of the Congressional Caucus on Prescription Drug Abuse, prepares to testify at the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control hearing titled “Responding to the Prescription Drug Abuse Epidemic,” held July 18, 2012, in Dirksen. (CQ Polling via Tom Williams/Getty Images)

Donald Payne Jr.

In New Jersey, former Rep. Donald Payne Jr., DN.J., succeeded his father, former Rep. Donald Payne Sr., DN.J., in Congress.

Payne Sr. represented New Jersey’s 10th district for 23 years; That tenure was cut short when he succumbed to a battle with colon cancer in March 2012.

Payne’s son, Donald Payne Jr., ran to replace his father in the special election and won.

Darline Graham

McMaster’s decision to appoint Darline Graham to replace her brother will make her the first female U.S. senator in South Carolina history.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R.S.C., embraces his sister, Darline Graham, on stage as she announces his candidacy for the U.S. presidency during an outdoor event for supporters on June 1, 2015 in Central, S.C. (Jessica McGowan/Getty Images)

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION

When her parents died in 1976 and 1977, Lindsey became her sister’s legal guardian. Accepting McMaster’s nomination to replace her brother, Darline promised to return the favor of her life in caring for him.

“Lindsey has always been there for me. And now I’ll be there for her, too,” he told a crowd at South Carolina’s statehouse in Columbia, South Carolina, on Monday.