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“I would watch him, and I’d be like, ‘Lindsey, are you just talking about national security all the time?’ ” Darline said of her older brother in a new interview
NEED TO KNOW
- Sen. Darline Graham announced her decision to run for a full Senate term after being appointed to temporarily replace her late brother, Lindsey Graham
- Only a week into her time on Capitol Hill, Darline distanced herself from her brother’s political legacy, explaining that she will be less focused on foreign affairs and national security
- Darline made history as the first woman to represent South Carolina in the Senate when she was sworn in on July 14
One week after taking over for her late brother Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Sen. Darline Graham is drawing a distinction between his legacy and her priorities.
In a Monday, July 20, Fox News appearance with Sean Hannity, Darline recalled seeing her brother’s political remarks over the years before his sudden death at age 71 on Saturday, July 11.
“I used to see him on the talk shows. I would watch him, and I’d be like, ‘Lindsey, are you just talking about national security all the time?’ ” Darline, 62, said of her older brother.
“And I understand that’s important,” the new Republican senator continued. “Protecting our borders, national security, absolutely.”
“I said, ‘But talk about also what matters to the average person. The price of groceries, the price of gas, healthcare. Insurance, those kind of things.’ That’s what I’m worried about,” she added.
Darline was sworn in as South Carolina’s newest U.S. senator on July 14, making history as the first woman to represent the state in the Senate. She was appointed to serve out the remainder of Lindsey’s term, which ends in January.
Days later, President Donald Trump urged Darline — who is also believed to be the first sister appointed to succeed a late U.S. senator — to seek the seat long-term by declaring her candidacy in the state’s upcoming special election.
“Darline, who comes from an absolutely incredible family, has been a WINNER all of her life and, should she accept, has my Complete and Total Endorsement in the Special Election for U.S. Senate in South Carolina,” the president wrote via Truth Social on Friday, July 17. “SHE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN. RUN, DARLINE, RUN!”
During her interview with Hannity on Monday, Darline announced that she is heeding the call and will now run for a full, six-year Senate term.
“I have been praying a lot, talking to my family,” she told Hannity. “I know I’m a hard worker. I learned that from Lindsey ... I feel like I can do it. I feel an inner peace about it. Will it be difficult? Yes. Absolutely.”
“I’ve made a decision,” she continued. “I’m in.”
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Lindsey died from a ruptured aorta caused by chronic heart disease, according to preliminary findings from the District of Columbia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
His communications director, Taylor Reidy, shared the initial findings on X on Sunday, July 12. The medical examiner’s office listed his preliminary cause of death as “Aortic Dissection due to Arteriosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease.”
The office noted that the death certificate remains pending while toxicology and microscopic testing are completed. Once those results are finalized, the certificate will be updated to confirm the official cause and manner of death.
During her Hannity interview, Darline said that Lindsey did not take proper care of his health during his time in office.
“If I could go back and beg and plead and get him to do better, I would. But I can’t,” she said. “He was on a mission … a mission from God, I think. I mean that’s almost … I think why he was here on this Earth.”
The special GOP primary to replace Lindsey on this year’s general election ballot will be held on Aug. 11. The winner of the Republican nomination will face Democratic nominee Annie Andrews, a pediatrician, in November to determine who will occupy the seat from 2027 until 2033.
Read the original article on People
