Trump urges S.C. governor to appoint Sen. Graham's sister as temporary replacement

By — Meg Kinnard, Associated Press Meg Kinnard, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-urges-s-c-governor-to-appoint-sen-grahams-sister-as-temporary-replacement Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Trump urges S.C. governor to appoint Sen. Graham's sister as temporary replacement Politics Jul 13, 2026 1:15 PM EDT CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — President Donald Trump said Monday he's recommended that Lindsey Graham's sister be named as his temporary replacement in the U.S. Senate. Trump posted on social media that Gov. Henry McMaster should appoint Darline Graham Nordone to fulfill the rest of Graham's term, which expires in January. Graham died over the weekend at age 71 , and McMaster is expected to announce his pick later Monday. READ MORE: Sen. Lindsey Graham likely died after aorta tear, preliminary medical exam finds After their parents died at a young age, Graham was left to raise his sister, for whom he later became legal guardian. They were very close, and she was by his side as he filed reelection paperwork earlier this year, along with her children and grandchildren. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. A person familiar with the appointment process but not authorized to speak about it publicly said that the interim senator would be sworn in on Wednesday. Sen. Tim Scott, who the person said had spoken with Graham's sister multiple times since his death, planned to be at McMaster's announcement. A special election will be held next month to pick a new Republican nominee in the general election for Graham's seat. He had been seeking a fifth term this year. The rare open Senate seat has ignited a scramble among South Carolina's most ambitious conservatives, who have been eager to climb the political ladder. Republicans just finished a sprawling and bruising contest to figure out their nominee for succeeding McMaster, who is wrapping up his second term. State Attorney General Alan Wilson won the nomination, overcoming a field that included Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, Rep. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman — all of whom are now eyeing Graham's seat following his death over the weekend. How will a special primary work? According to South Carolina law, a one-week filing period for a special primary election begins on the second Tuesday after the candidate's death, or July 21. The special primary election would be held on the second Tuesday after that filing period closes, or Aug. 11. Any necessary runoff would follow two weeks after that, or Aug. 25. From that point, the new nominee would have just over two months to campaign for the general election on Nov. 3. All of this is problematic according to federal law, which requires military and overseas ballots to go out 45 days before any federal election. For the special election primary, that would have been June 27. Federal Electi