Darline Graham's career centered disability. Now she could help shape national policy

By — Sara Luterman, The 19th Sara Luterman, The 19th Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/darline-grahams-career-centered-disability-now-she-could-help-shape-national-policy Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Darline Graham's career centered disability. Now she could help shape national policy Politics Jul 18, 2026 5:21 PM EDT This story was originally published by The 19th . Unlike her late brother Lindsey, whose political career spanned 33 years, Darline Graham has never run for or held elected office — until she was appointed to serve the remainder of the U.S. senator's term this week. Instead, she has worked in vocational rehabilitation, publicly funded programs that help people with disabilities overcome barriers to employment. Due to her lack of political experience, it is difficult to know what her priorities will be between now and January 2027, when Lindsey Graham's term ends. But to former colleagues and the disability advocates who have worked with her, there is little doubt in Darline Graham's capabilities. They describe the 62-year-old as a dedicated civil servant who is uninterested in the spotlight and deeply knowledgeable about issues facing the disability community. And they are optimistic she will bring that experience to Capitol Hill. READ MORE: Trump urges Darline Graham to run for full Senate term as funeral planned for her brother "She loved her brother. He raised her," said Kimberly Tissot, president of Able South Carolina, the state's Center for Independent Living, or CIL, a federally funded center that provides peer support and services for people with disabilities. "Family is what defines her, but she's not her brother. That's what I've been telling people [in disability advocacy]," said Tissot, a cancer survivor and amputee who has known and worked alongside Graham for over a decade. "She is a leader, but she's not the kind of leader to ever brag about what she's done." Tissot was careful to note that she doesn't think Graham is some kind of secret liberal nor a disability rights activist. In fact, Tissot said, Graham has never seemed particularly political; her dedication has been to her family and to employment for people with disabilities, which has long been a bipartisan issue. That has certainly been the case in South Carolina. In 2022, the state passed a law ending subminimum wage for people with disabilities. The bill received a unanimous vote in the state Senate and a nearly unanimous vote in the state House. Both were majority Republican at the time. According to Tissot, she and Graham were present at the bill signing. "But if you know Darline, she's always in the back," Tissot said. "For as long as I've known her, she just never wanted that recognition." Following the law's passage, Graham was involved in the process of unwinding the state's remaining subminimum wage. She served on key committees with Tissot, alongside other c