Trump recommends South Carolina’s governor appoint Lindsey Graham’s sister to finish his Senate term

President Donald Trump has recommended Lindsey Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, to serve the remainder of the late Republican senator’s term, which ends in early January.

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“This would be a fabulous tribute to Lindsey, who loved her dearly!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social .

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, a Republican, is holding a news conference at 4 p.m. at the State House in Columbia, South Carolina, to announce his pick for the Senate seat. Asked for comment about Trump’s suggestion, a spokesperson for the governor, Michelle LeClair, only provided details for the press conference.

Graham Nordone didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. Her brother died Saturday at the age of 71 of what was preliminarily diagnosed as a rupture of his aorta due to a hardening of his arteries, the late senator’s office said Sunday.

In response to Trump’s suggestion, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., also endorsed his former colleague’s sister for the seat.

“Lindsey Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, would be a fantastic pick to serve out the remainder of the senate term,” Scott wrote on X . “After speaking with Darline, there is no one better who understands Lindsey’s love for family, our state, and our country.”

If appointed, Graham Nordone would finish her brother’s six-year term in the Senate, which ends Jan. 3.

Graham spoke about his close relationship with his younger sister, whom he legally adopted after she was orphaned at age 13 when their father died of a heart attack. Their mother had died only 15 months earlier of Hodgkin lymphoma, when Graham was 20.

“It was a really tough time for us,” Graham Nordone said, introducing him at the kickoff event for his GOP presidential bid in 2015 in South Carolina. “I can remember the day my father passed away, standing in the living room of that house, absolutely scared to death. Lindsey wrapped his arms around me and promised me that he would always be there for me and always take care of me. And I can assure you he’s done that. He has never let me down.”

She said in a joint interview with her brother on Fox News that year, “I don’t know what I would have done without him.”

It’s unclear if Graham Nordone would want to run for her brother’s seat. Graham had been seeking a fifth term in the Senate in this year’s midterm elections after defeating a wealthy GOP challenger in his state’s Republican primary last month.

Under South Carolina law, candidates who want to run for Graham’s seat have one week starting July 21 to file for a special primary election that would be held Aug. 11.

Several possible candidates could enter the race .

South Carolina businessman Mark Lynch is running for Graham’s seat in the primary, his spokesperson, Liam Ford, confirmed. Lynch, who ran against Graham in the GOP primary earlier this year and lost, is putting $5 million into his campaign, Ford said.

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., who recently lost a GOP gubernatorial primary in her state, is strongly considering running for the South Carolina Senate seat, a source familiar with her thinking said.

Another potential candidate is Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, who also just ran for governor and lost in the primary runoff election. A source close to Evette told NBC News that while the lieutenant governor and those close to her are still “shell shocked” by the news of Graham’s death, Evette on Sunday received “dozens of phone calls and texts” encouraging her to jump into the Senate race.

The president endorsed Evette in the governor’s race in May, but it was unclear whether she would be his pick for the now-open Senate seat. The source close to the lieutenant governor said several of the calls and messages that she has received have been from “organizations involved in politics at the federal level.”

Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., ruled out a run for the Senate seat in a post on X , writing that he assured Trump that his “goal is to remain in the House to keep his two-vote majority for the American people!!!”