Trump wants Lindsey Graham's sister to finish his Senate term

"I think this is what Lindsey would have wanted," Darline Graham Nordone said.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster announced on Monday that he is appointing Sen. Lindsey Graham's sister Darline Graham Nordone to take his U.S. Senate seat for the rest of his term.

"I think this is what Lindsey would have wanted and I plan to honor him in this way," Nordone said at an event announcing her appointment. "Lindsey has always been there for me. And now I will be there for him."

Graham's office announced that the longtime Republican lawmaker had died suddenly at the age of 71 on Saturday. Preliminary findings from the Medical Examiner of the District of Columbia said Graham died from an "aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease."

McMaster said he had talked to Nordone on Sunday morning about the appointment and she agreed to fill out Graham's term.

“Lindsey took care of his little sister in years long departed. It's my honor to ask his little sister, Darlene Graham, to finish his work for him now,” McMaster said.

President Donald Trump earlier Monday said he wanted Nordone to be Graham's temporary replacement in the Senate.

Trump wrote in a social media post that he made his recommendation to McMaster, and said it would a "fabulous tribute" to Graham.

Nordone has served since 2019 as commissioner of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind, where she has worked to expand opportunities for South Carolinians who are blind or have low vision to achieve employment and independence, according to a biography provided by the governor's office.

Before that, she held roles with Clemson University, the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce, and the South Carolina Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, the governor's office said. In addition to her role with the Commission for the Blind, Nordone serves on the South Carolina State Workforce Development Board and is president-elect of the National Council of State Agencies for the Blind.

She earned a bachelor's degree from the College of Charleston, a Master's degree in rehabilitation counseling and is a certified public manager, according to the governor's office.

Separate from the temporary replacement to complete Graham's term, South Carolina will hold a special election on Aug. 11 to replace Graham as the Republican nominee on the general election ballot this November.

Graham and his sister shared an incredibly close relationship. After their parents died when Graham was only 22 years old, he took on a caretaker role for his younger sister, becoming her legal guardian.

Nordone, in a recent video for Graham's reelection campaign, said of her brother, "He's always been there for me, no matter what."

Trump, in an interview with "Fox & Friends" on Monday morning, called Graham a "friend" and praised his work on shepherding through the nomination of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his first term.

"He had fun with politics, but he was really good at it," Trump said of Graham. "And then when he got angry, like he did in the case of Brett Kavanaugh, it was so impactful."

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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