Lindsey Graham's sister chosen as replacement after senator's death

The sister of US Senator Lindsey Graham will serve as his temporary replacement after the South Carolina lawmaker died from an aortic tear on Saturday.

Darline Graham Nordone was formally chosen by South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster on Monday, who introduced her as Graham's "darling little sister" who would "finish his work for him now".

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

The announcement came after officials, including President Donald Trump called for Nordone to serve as his replacement in a "tribute" to the senator, who never married and had no children.

Graham was close with his sister, who he legally adopted after their parents died while they were young.

McMaster said she would serve out the remainder of Graham's term, which is set to end 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 due to an "aortic dissection" caused by cardiovascular disease, according to a preliminary finding by the Washington DC medical examiner. He was 71.

Graham had been running for re-election in November, and had the Republican Party's nomination. Several other Republican candidates already have announced plans to run for his Senate seat.

Graham and his sister lost their parents at a young age, with both their mother and father dying within 15 months of each other.

Graham was 22 at the time, and his sister was 13. She lived with family members, maintaining a close relationship with Graham as he studied law and served in the Air Force.

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

Graham later adopted her, telling journalists it was so that she would receive his military benefits should anything happen to him.

She has been at his side throughout his political career. Graham even suggested previously that she would serve as his first lady if he were elected president.

She has never previously held public office. Neither she nor the governor said whether she will campaign for the full six-year Senate term, or just serve temporarily until January 2027.

Elected to the Senate in 2002, Graham was one of Washington's most influential voices on foreign policy, often pushing for US military intervention overseas.

The senator had just returned from a trip to Kyiv, Ukraine, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday, and spoke to Trump the night before his death.

Before Graham's death, Republicans held a 53-47 majority over Democrats in the Senate. Both parties are fighting for Senate control in November.

Graham's spokesperson said the death certificate would be pending until "all the toxicological and microscopic testing" was finalised.

There is a long tradition of family members replacing lawmakers when they die. According to the US House of Representatives in 2025, 45 widowed women have directly succeeded their late husbands in Congress - 38 in the House and eight in the Senate.