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Darline Graham, the sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, claimed that work-related stress may have played a part in his early death.
Speaking for the first time at a Senate Budget Committee meeting, Graham delivered an emotional tribute to her late brother, who unexpectedly passed away this month. "I begged him to slow down," she told the committee, which was meeting for the first time since his death.
"I knew it was not going to be good. And I had already prayed, and knew in my heart, that one day something was going to happen," she added. "I feel like it took him from us."
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The committee's new chair, Wisconsin Republican Senator Ron Johnson, also stated his belief that the late senator was killed by work-related stress. "I think it cost him his life," Johnson said regarding the former senator's travel schedule to Turkey and Ukraine just before his death on July 11.
"So that's his lasting legacy," Johnson added. "He dedicated his life. He gave his life to this country."
Medical officials ruled that Graham had died of an aortic dissection caused by cardiovascular disease. In his remarks, Johnson added that he wanted lawmakers to pass more bipartisan policy efforts in memory of the late South Carolina senator.
"We're going to miss his demonstration of how to work together," Johnson said. According to the new chairman, Graham's death is "maybe a wake-up call."
Democrats also recalled the former senator's ability to bring members of both parties together."We are a grimmer and a dumber place without Lindsey Graham," said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island.
"Our prospects as a body are narrower, he added. "Our boundaries are more constrained, and frankly, more tedious."
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Recently, Graham's sister, who took over the remainder of her brother's Senate term after his sudden death, quietly revealed that she had changed her name during an interview with Sean Hannity. The name change was noticed in a lower third on Hannity's Fox News show.
"I'll continue to say I've been praying a lot, talking to my family," said Graham as the graphic below her read "Exclusive interview with Senator Darline Graham." She added, "But with the love of my family, with the support of his staff, I know I'm a hard worker."
"I learned that from Lindsey. He cared about the people of this state," she continued. "I've worked for almost 30 years for the people of this state. I want to talk about that in a minute."
"I feel like I can do it. I feel an inner peace about it," Graham added. "Will it be difficult? Yes, absolutely. So you're inclined to get in, or have you even made a final decision?"
It was then that she dropped the bombshell that she planned to run for a full six-year term once her brother's term expired. "I've made a decision. I'm in."
Graham is the first woman to represent the state of South Caroline after being appointed to the seat last week by Gov. Henry McMaster with the support of President Donald Trump. Graham's name will appear on the special election ballot, to be held on Aug. 11, to determine who will fill the vacancy.
According to a source within the South Carolina state government, when McMaster appointed her to the Senate, they had no idea she would seek a full term. Senate majority leader John Thune said that while he would not endorse her, he did find her to be a "strong candidate."
"She obviously carries on Lindsey's legacy," Thune commented when asked by reporters. "But I think she's a very accomplished person in her own right, and so you know she has a right, like anybody else, to get into that race."
"It sounds like there are a number who are moving forward with campaigns," he added, "It's going to be a short campaign season, I think, for the law in South Carolina, what it provides for."
"But my assumption is that, you know, the voters in South Carolina, Republican voters, will come to a conclusion about that and send the right person forward," Thune continued. However, Graham found some support with Senate Whip John Barrasso, who called her an "excellent senator."
