Lindsey Graham's sister appointed as senator after his death

The sister of the late US Senator Lindsey Graham will serve as his temporary replacement in the Senate after South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster appointed her to complete the remainder of his term.

Darline Graham Nordone was formally appointed on Monday, two days after Graham died from an aortic tear. Introducing her at the announcement, McMaster described her as Graham's "darling little sister" and said she would carry forward his work.

"It is such an honour. Lindsey has always been there for me and now I will be there for him," Nordone said.

Her appointment followed calls from several officials, including US President Donald Trump, for Nordone to succeed her brother as a tribute to the longtime senator, who never married and had no children.

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Graham and Nordone shared a close bond. After their parents died when they were young, Graham later legally adopted his younger sister.

McMaster said Nordone would serve the remainder of Graham's Senate term, which expires in 2027.

"Lindsey took care of his little sister," McMaster said. "It's my honor to ask his little sister, Darline Graham Nordone, to finish his work for him now."

Nordone said she believed "this is what Lindsey would have wanted and I plan to honour him in this way."

Graham died over the weekend from an "aortic dissection" caused by cardiovascular disease, according to a preliminary finding by the Washington DC medical examiner. He was 71 years old.

At the time of his death, Graham had been seeking re-election in November and had already secured the Republican Party's nomination. Several Republican candidates have since announced plans to contest the Senate seat.

Who is she?

The siblings lost both of their parents within 15 months of each other when Graham was 22 and Nordone was 13. While she lived with other family members, they remained close as Graham studied law and later served in the US Air Force.

"He's kind of like a brother, a father and a mother rolled into one," Nordone, a mother of two who helps people with disabilities find jobs, told The New York Times in 2015.

Graham later adopted his sister, explaining that he wanted to ensure she would receive his military benefits if anything happened to him.

Nordone remained a constant presence throughout Graham's political career. During his previous presidential campaign, Graham had even suggested that she would serve as his first lady if he were elected president.

She has never held elected office before. Neither Nordone nor Governor McMaster indicated whether she intends to run for the full six-year Senate term or simply serve until Graham's term concludes in January 2027.