CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Darline Graham Nordone, who was appointed to serve the remaining months of the Senate term that her late brother, Lindsey Graham, left behind when he died over the weekend, hasn’t been in office before.
But through her brother’s decades of public service, Nordone has been by his side, supporting him in speeches, appearances and even campaign ads.
Besides being a frequent attendee at Graham’s political events, Nordone is woven deeply into her brother’s personal and political biography. After both of their parents died in just over a year, Graham, then age 22, became legal guardian for his 13-year-old sister.
Now, after South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster tapped Nordone to serve in Graham’s seat until January, Nordone is heading to Washington, tasked with representing the interests for which her brother advocated with passion.
A special primary held next month will sort out what Republican moves forward in the general election to face Democrat Annie Andrews in November.
From brother to legal guardian, Graham raised his sister
While Graham was in his early 20s, his life — and that of his sister — was turned upside down. Their mother died in 1976 after battling Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Fifteen months later, his sister, then 13, discovered their father after he suffered a heart attack in his sleep and died.
Graham was just beginning law school at the University of South Carolina. With both parents gone, he pivoted, saying that his chief goal was to ensure his sister was cared for.
“I can remember the day my father passed away, standing in the living room of that house, absolutely scared to death,” Nordone told NPR in 2015. “Lindsey wrapped his arms around me and promised me he would always be there for me and always take care of me.”
Making regular treks from school in Columbia to Seneca, where his sister was being looked after by relatives, Graham kept tabs on his sister from then on and became her legal guardian. After he became a military lawyer in the Air Force, he adopted her, to ensure that she would receive his military benefits.
Graham’s bond with his sister was indelible
Graham, who never married or had children of his own, once joked as he ran for president in 2016 that his sister could be among a “rotating” cast of White House hosts standing in as first lady.
But the bond between the two, aside from being integral to Graham’s own biography, was evident in their public appearances. When Graham filed his candidacy paperwork in March for this year’s election, Nordone was by his side, along with her children and grandchildren.
“What have I learned in this life I’ve led? I take nothing for granted. I count every blessing, every day,” Graham said then, going on to recount how he and his sister forged through life together from that point. “I understand what a blessing my life has been and the only way I can pay you back for the blessings I’ve received is to be the most thoughtful, relevant, aggressive senator.”
Nordone married, had children and ultimately grandchildren and has worked with people with disabilities. Talking to C-SPAN in 2015, Graham said of his own life that his sister’s success “is the highlight of it, by far.”
Bob McAlister, a former consultant to Graham on several campaigns, reflected on how the difficulties in their growing up bonded the siblings in a way that most would not understand.
“He grew up with nothing,” McAlister said. “The back of the bar where he and his sister grew up was always kind of top of mind to him. … And I think the way he and Darline grew up just had an indelible impact on him, and for some reason, it gave him the drive that he had to do what he did.”
“A lot of people have different ideas about Lindsey from what they’ve seen on TV and all that, but everything about him can be traced back to his boyhood, the way he grew up, the way he took care of his sister,” McAlister added.
Graham’s sister played a political role in his life, too
Graham often talked about his background, and the plight he shared with his sister, in campaign appearances, and she was there for many of them.
She also popped up in a 2014 campaign ad, as Graham sought a third Senate term, saying he brought assurances after their parents’ deaths that he would take care of her.
“He never let me down. Never. I don’t see how he did it, to take on the responsibility of raising a little sister,” Nordone said. “That came from within for Lindsey.”
Trump recommended Graham’s sister as interim appointee
Hours ahead of McMaster’s announcement, President Donald Trump said on social media that he had recommended that the governor pick Nordone, calling the selection “a fabulous tribute to Lindsey, who loved her dearly!”
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Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP.
Meg Kinnard, The Associated Press
