Darline Graham’s Riding With Trump—But Political Views Beyond That Still Unclear As Primary Looms

Topline

Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., who was appointed to replace her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., when he died suddenly last month, is running as a pro-Trump Republican, though her political views beyond that are largely unknown and polls show the contest is likely headed to a runoff.

Key Facts

Graham has campaigned on her support for President Donald Trump, who has endorsed her for a full term, though she didn’t vote in the 2024 presidential primary or the 2016 general election, The Washington Post reported, citing voting records.

In a Fox News interview on Monday, the network asked Graham to reconcile her campaign messaging about affordability with the negative economic impacts of the Iran war and she said, “I realize the price of gas is a little high right now, but I think President Trump is gonna get us through this and the price of gas will eventually come down . . . I believe in him when it comes to dealing with Iran.”

Graham said during a recent debate she supports ending the filibuster—contradicting her brother—and wishes the Senate would have stayed in session, instead of breaking for August recess, to work toward passing the voter ID law Trump has pushed for, the SAVE America Act.

She also pushed for passage of a bill named after her brother to impose new sanctions on Russia and allow the president to impose 100% tariffs on buyers of Russian oil; the measure was approved 86-11 last week.

In her first campaign ad released late last month, she called herself a “conservative Republican,” advocated against abortion, against transgender athletes competing in women’s and girls’ sports and echoed Trump’s concerns about non-citizens voting.

Graham has made limited public comments since she was appointed to replace her brother, refusing hallway interviews with reporters, and giving two televised interviews to Fox News, The New York Times noted.

What To Watch For

Republican South Carolina Reps. Russell Fry and Ralph Norman, former Gov. Mark Sanford and businessman Mark Lynch, who placed second behind Lindsey Graham in the GOP primary earlier this year, are also running in Tuesday’s special primary election to replace Lindsey Graham on the November ballot. Polls indicate no candidate will secure the majority of votes, positioning the contest for a runoff.

Key Background

Prior to her appointment to the Senate, Graham served as commissioner of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind since 2019, and has worked at Clemson University, for the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce, and the South Carolina Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, according to a press release from Republican South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster. She campaigned for her brother throughout his political career—sometimes appearing with him at campaign events and in a 2014 ad in which she often talked about how he raised her when he became her legal guardian after their parents died within 15 months of each other when she was just 13. Graham has advocated for disability rights legislation, people who worked with her told PBS News—she helped undo subminimum wage policy in South Carolina when the state legislature voted to end it in 2022 and was present at the bill signing. Graham, 62, graduated from the College of Charleston in 1989 with a degree in sociology; she is married to Larry Nordone, and has two daughters. Lindsey Graham, 71, died on July 11 from a tear in the body’s main artery, according to a preliminary report from the Washington, D.C., medical examiner. He served four terms in the Senate and was widely expected to be elected to a fifth after winning his primary in June. Lindsey Graham was best known as a foreign policy hawk—a staunch advocate for Israel and Ukraine—and for his close relationship with Trump. He rebuilt his relationship with Trump, acting as a liaison between the White House and the Senate, after he was sharply critical of Trump when the two ran against each other for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination.

What Did Lindsey Graham said about his sister?

Lindsey Graham told C-SPAN while discussing his relationship with his sister in 2015, “of all the things that have happened in my life, her turning out so well is the highlight of it, because she was 13, lost both of her parents. She’s got two daughters, one 21, one 6, and she’s made an incredible life for herself.” Lindsey Graham, who was never married and had no children, also said during his presidential campaign in 2015 his sister could serve as a “rotating first lady” if he were elected president.

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