‘RUN, DARLINE, RUN!’ Trump Backs Darline Graham Nordone for Senate
“She has been a WINNER all of her life and, should she accept, has my Complete and Total Endorsement in the Special Election.”
President Donald Trump is pushing Sen. Darline Graham Nordone to run for a full six-year term in the seat held by her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Trump invited Nordone to the Oval Office on Thursday.
“Run Darline run!” Trump says on Truth Social. pic.twitter.com/YneRqwGoll
— Nick Reynolds (@IAmNickReynolds) July 17, 2026
“During her visit, I asked Darline, for the Good of our Nation, to run for the U.S. Senate. I hope Darline does this, in that there would be nobody better to honor the legacy of her beloved brother, Lindsey.
She has been a WINNER all of her life and, should she accept, has my Complete and Total Endorsement in the Special Election for U.S. Senate in South Carolina.
RUN, DARLINE, RUN!”
Nordone has not announced whether she will run. She has started talking with political allies about a possible campaign, however, and would enter the race with Trump’s endorsement and her brother’s legacy.
The filing period opens Tuesday and runs through July 28. South Carolina will hold the special Republican primary on August 11.
Reps. Russell Fry, Nancy Mace, and Ralph Norman are among the Republicans considering the race. South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette is also a possible candidate.
Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Nordone to serve the remaining months of Graham’s term after the senator died last weekend. McMaster said he asked her to take the seat early Sunday morning and then called Trump, who thought the appointment was “a great idea.”
Trump said he had recommended Nordone to McMaster “as a fabulous tribute to Lindsey, who loved her dearly.”
Nordone accepted.
“Lindsey has always been there for me, and now I will be there for him. It is such a privilege to get to finish some of his important work, and I promise to work hard over the next several months to support the president and carry forward the efforts of my brother on behalf of the citizens of South Carolina and the United States.”
She then turned to her brother.
“To Lindsey, I miss you more than I can even put into words. But I’m going to do this. I got it.”
Nordone, 62, had never held elected office before her appointment. She serves on the South Carolina Commission for the Blind and has spent years working with people with disabilities.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune backed McMaster’s decision and welcomed Nordone to the Senate.
“Lindsey’s legacy will continue through Darline, and I look forward to welcoming her soon.”
Nordone was ceremonially sworn in Tuesday in the Old Senate Chamber. Her appointment runs through January, but Trump now wants her name on the November ballot for a full term. Meanwhile, her brother’s funeral services are scheduled for July 28 in Washington and July 29 in South Carolina.
The brother and sister grew up in a single room behind the Sanitary Cafe, the bar, pool hall, and liquor store their parents operated in Central, South Carolina. Their parents died within 15 months of each other. Nordone was 13.
Graham became his younger sister’s legal guardian. He later adopted her so she could receive his military benefits while he attended college and participated in ROTC. If she runs, Darline Graham Nordone won’t just be carrying a famous last name; she’ll be carrying a life story that Lindsey Graham helped write.
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Comments
Temp Senator is one thing but perm Senator is something else, I have no idea what this woman stands for and I’m betting neither does Trump. However I don’t live in SC and more importantly I don’t vote there since I’m not a democrat so it’s not my call.
“more importantly I don’t vote there since I’m not a democrat “… ????
I took the comment to mean that only democrats will vote in places in which they don’t reside, or may be considered snowbirds and voting in two states.
Oh, come on!
Part of me thinks nah, let he have some peace.
Part of me looks at the other igits putting their narcissistic faces in the race before Graham’s body is cold and thinks…she is the most qualified.
That’s gonna be a no from me dawg. No family political dynasties. No Spouses/Siblings of dead politicians seeking to capitalize on the death to acquire political power. See Kennedy, Bush, Clinton, Debbie Dingell among many other examples.
^^THIS^^
I am soooooo done with dynasties.
As a South Carolina voter, let me say this right now: If the Republican party has another Senate seat to lose, then nominate her to run for the full term. I and many other consistent Republican voters would sit this one out in that case and many of our independent friends, who frequently vote with us, would vote Democrat. The later group has problems with the interim appointment as it is.