SerpApi.Org
The sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham is trying to convince MAGA of her anti-abortion bonafides after it was revealed that her only political donation on record was to a South Carolina state lawmaker who helped block a statewide abortion ban.
Newly sworn-in Sen. Darline Graham Nordone—a disability services worker chosen by South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster to fill her late brother’s seat after he died suddenly this month—remains something of an enigma to her Senate colleagues and constituents given her lack of experience in public office.
She quickly positioned herself as a staunch loyalist of Donald Trump by co-sponsoring the SAVE America Act, a set of onerous voting restrictions that remains one of the president’s top priorities despite failing repeatedly in the Senate.
But as reported this week by The Swamp, the Daily Beast’s newsletter covering Washington insiders, Darline’s only political donation on record seems to be $100 given to former state Sen. Katrina Shealy, a Republican who tried to block South Carolina’s near-total abortion ban in 2023.
A day after the news broke, Graham posted a statement on social media attempting to reassure conservative voters that being anti-abortion was one of her “core convictions.”
“As a mother, I know that welcoming children into this world is God’s greatest gift,” wrote the mother of two. “I’m proud to be pro-life and stand up for the unborn and expecting moms.”
She also posted a list of seven Senate bills she supports that restrict access to abortion or devote federal resources to encouraging women to carry pregnancies to term.
Several of the bills purport to outlaw behavior that is already illegal, such as denying medical care to infants who survive abortion attempts, using tax dollars to fund abortions, and administering abortion drugs to women without their consent.
Others appear to be redundant, such as the MOMS Act, which would create yet another government website for expectant mothers, and the Pregnant Students’ Rights Act, which would require colleges and universities participating in federal student loan programs to provide information on the rights and resources available to pregnant students.
Universities are already required to have a Title IX coordinator who helps students navigate federal protections for pregnant students.
Before he died, Lindsey Graham—who never married and had no children—spearheaded a decade-long crusade to ban abortion nationwide.
Between 2013 and 2024, he proposed legislation during five consecutive sessions of Congress to ban abortion at between 15 and 20 weeks, NBC News reported.
The 71-year-old was up for re-election in the fall, and Darline Graham has announced she’s running to serve a full six-year term after filling the remainder of her late brother’s term, which ends in early 2027.
Trump quickly endorsed her candidacy, but two other Republicans have already announced they’re entering the South Carolina GOP primary.
The state has one of the country’s most restrictive abortion laws, with abortion banned after six weeks except in cases of rape, incest, fetal abnormalities, or danger to the woman’s life or health.
Shealy, the state lawmaker that Darline Graham donated to, had joined with a Democrat, an Independent, and two other Republican women to filibuster an earlier version of the bill that would have banned abortion after conception, with exceptions for cases of rape and incest available only in the first trimester.
Shealy also tried unsuccessfully to amend the bill that did pass to allow abortion for up to 12 weeks.
She and the other Republican “Sister Senators,” as they called themselves, were defeated in their primaries the following year.
