South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has appointed late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s younger sister, Darline Graham Nordone, to fill his Senate seat for the remainder of his term.
McMaster made the announcement during a press conference on Monday afternoon.
The governor said he was humbled by her quickness to accept the call to serve.
“I called the president afterwards, and he thought it was a great idea,” the governor said.
Graham died unexpectedly over the weekend following a brief and sudden illness at 71 years of age.
Graham Nordone said during the press conference that it would be an honor to serve, adding that it was what her brother would have wanted.
“Lindsey was always there for me, and now I’ll be there for him,” she said, vowing to work hard and carry on the late senator’s work.
Earlier on Monday, President Donald Trump had suggested that she should fill her brother’s Senate seat until a permanent replacement can be elected.
Trump shared his recommendation on social media ahead of McMaster’s planned announcement.
After losing their parents at a young age, Graham took on the responsibility of raising his younger sister. He later adopted her, and the two maintained a close bond throughout their lives. Graham Nordone stood by her brother’s side when he filed for reelection earlier this year, accompanied by her children and grandchildren.
Graham was one of Trump’s closest allies in Congress.
Responding to Trump’s suggestion earlier in the day, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) said Graham Nordone would be a “fantastic pick” to serve out the rest of the late Sen. Graham’s term, which ends in January.
South Carolina law authorizes the governor to appoint a temporary replacement to fill a vacancy in the Senate resulting from death, resignation, or any other cause.
A special election process is underway to permanently fill the seat.
Graham had already won the Republican primary for his Senate seat before his death.
A special election will be held next month to pick a new Republican nominee for Graham’s seat. He had been seeking a fifth term this year.
No Democrat has won a Senate seat in South Carolina in decades, and Republicans have consistently carried statewide races by double-digit margins in recent years.
The prominent South Carolina Republican and former Air Force lawyer served in Congress for more than three decades.