SerpApi.Org
Newly appointed Sen. Darline Graham Nordone (R-S.C.) announced on Monday that she will run to fill her late brother Sen. Lindsey Graham’s seat for a full term.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) appointed Nordone to complete the remainder of her brother’s term on July 13, just two days after he died. Less than a week later, she received a “Complete and Total Endorsement” from President Donald Trump, who claimed, “There would be nobody better to honor the legacy of her beloved brother.”
In an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, Nordone called Trump’s endorsement a “tremendous amount of pressure,” but ultimately said, “I’m in.”
“I know I’m a hard worker. I learned that from Lindsey,” Nordone, who was raised by Lindsey Graham since she was 13 and he was 22, said. “He cared about the people of this state. I’ve worked for almost 30 years for the people of this state. I feel like I can do it. I feel an inner peace about it. Will it be difficult? Yes.”
Her announcement came a day before the July 21 to July 28 filing period for the U.S. Senate special Republican primary on Aug. 11. The general election is on Nov. 3.
Nordone, who is the first woman to represent South Carolina in the U.S. Senate, has never run for political office. She has held roles with the South Carolina Commission for the Blind, Clemson University, the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce and the South Carolina Department of Vocational Rehabilitation.
Funeral services for Lindsey Graham will be held in Washington, D.C., and South Carolina later this month. The 71-year-old’s sudden death was likely caused by an “aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease,” the D.C. medical examiner said in preliminary findings.
