Trump urges Governor McMaster to name Lindsey Graham’s sister to Senate
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President Donald Trump is pushing for an unlikely reshuffle in the Senate to fill the vacancy left by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R.S.C.
Trump wants South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster to appoint Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, to the suddenly open congressman’s seat for the remainder of his term.
“I suggested to Governor Henry McMaster that Lindsey Graham’s wonderful sister, Darline, serve as interim Senator from the Great State of South Carolina,” Trump said. at Truth Social On Monday. “This would be a wonderful tribute to Lindsey, who loved it so much!”
Graham and her younger sister, Darline, had a unique bond due to the legislator legally adopting and raising her after her parents died.
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President Donald Trump wants Lindsey Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, to be appointed caretaker to his vacant Senate seat for the remainder of his term. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Trump’s announcement comes amid a behind-the-scenes scramble to find a new GOP candidate to run in November to replace Graham and, further, keep his seat in Republican hands.
McMaster is expected to announce his seat selection at 4pm on Monday. So far he has remained silent on who he would prefer. Fox News Digital did not immediately hear from McMaster’s office about who he was monitoring in the meantime.
Meanwhile, a prominent Republican, Sen. R.S.C. Tim Scott also wants to see Graham’s sister get the nod for the seat.
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“Lindsey Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, would be a great choice to serve the remainder of the Senate term,” Scott told X. “After speaking with Darline, there is no one who better understands Lindsey’s love for her family, our state, and our country.”
Earlier in the day, Scott tentatively named both former Rep. Trey Gowdy and former Sen. Jim DeMint as possible replacements. He hoped McMaster would “put in a placeholder and let the voters decide” in a later special election.
“I think we’ll find out who this person is in the next few hours or the next day,” Scott said. “I love Trey Gowdy, and Jim DeMint has entered the conversation, too.”
“[Graham’s] sister can also be a great placeholder,” he continued. “So we have plenty of candidates who can hold that spot for voters to decide. “And remember, elections will begin in South Carolina on August 11, and we will have the primary in three weeks.”
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South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham speaks to reporters with President Donald Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick aboard Air Force One on their way back to Washington, D.C., on January 4, 2026. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
Both Gowdy and DeMint served in Congress before Scott; Gowdy served in the House of Representatives and DeMint in the Senate. However, Graham Nordone has never held public office.
Multiple sources close to Scott, who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), told Fox News Digital that he is effectively pushing McMaster to choose one of the three to be a placeholder and not seek a six-year term in the Senate.
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As the appointment race draws to a close, the race for the GOP nomination in South Carolina is still wide open.
Representatives Nancy Mace, R.S.C. and Ralph Norman, R.S.C., are already hinting at entering the special election scheduled for Aug. 11. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., has said he will remain in the House, but the rest of the Palmetto State GOP congressional delegation has not said what their plans are.
