Darline Graham Nordone is an American public administrator and the United States senator-designate from South Carolina. She is the sister of former US senator Lindsey Graham.
๐ Appointment and Background
On July 13, 2026, Governor Henry McMaster appointed her to fill the Senate vacancy created by her brother’s death. She is scheduled to be sworn in on July 14 and to serve through January 3, 2027.
Upon taking office, she will become the first woman to represent South Carolina in the US Senate. Darline Graham was born in Central, South Carolina.
๐จโ๐ฉโ๐งโ๐ฆ Early Life and Family
Her parents operated the Sanitary Cafe, and the family lived in rooms behind the business. When she was 12 years old, her mother died of Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and her father died of a heart attack 15 months later.
After their deaths, Graham’s brother, Lindsey, arranged for her to live with her aunt and uncle in Seneca, South Carolina. About nine years her senior, Lindsey adopted her before joining the Air Force.
๐ Education and Career
She graduated from the College of Charleston with a Bachelor of Science in sociology in 1989. She also holds a Master of Arts in rehabilitation counseling from South Carolina State University.
In 2019, Nordone became commissioner and agency head of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind. She also serves on the South Carolina State Workforce Development Board and its SC Works Management Committee.
๐ณ๏ธ Political Involvement and Appointment
By 2002, Nordone had appeared in a television advertisement for Lindsey’s campaign in that year’s US Senate election. She continued to assist in his subsequent campaigns, discussing her childhood in 2014 and 2026.
Nordone supported her brother’s campaign for President of the United States in the 2016 election. South Carolina senator Tim Scott spoke to Nordone after Lindsey Graham’s death on July 11, 2026.
| Category | Detail | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birth | Born June 12, 1964 | 1964 | Text |
| Appointment | Appointed by Governor Henry McMaster | July 13, 2026 | Text |
| Swearing-in | Scheduled to be sworn in on July 14 | July 14, 2026 | Text |
| Term End | Serve through January 3, 2027 | January 3, 2027 | Text |