Tim Scott suggests Darline Graham Nordone run for late brother's Senate seat
Article excerpt
Lindsey Graham's Senate seat is barely cold and already Tim Scott is floating a name for who should keep it warm permanently: Darline Graham Nordone, the late senator's sister, who was sworn in this week as his interim replacement. Scott's pitch was simple and direct. "'Why not her?' would be my question," he said Wednesday. Darline Graham Nordone stepped into the role just days ago, making her one of the newest members of the chamber, and now Scott is nudging her toward the special GOP primary that will determine who holds the seat long-term. South Carolina's Republican Party will need to navigate a succession process that remains wide open, with no clear frontrunner yet declared. Scott's endorsement-adjacent comment carries weight: he is one of the state's most prominent Republican figures and a former presidential candidate. Whether Nordone herself has any interest in running for a full term is not yet known, but Scott's public musing shifts at least some early attention her direction. The seat, held by Lindsey Graham for more than two decades, will be one of the more closely watched appointments-turned-campaigns of the current cycle.
Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) suggested Wednesday that interim Sen. Darline Graham Nordone (R-SC), the sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham who was sworn in this week to fill her older brother’s seat, run in the South Carolina special GOP primary to become his permanent replacement.
“’Why not her?’ would be my question, as it relates to the folks that are in the race, other members of Congress, and former congressmembers who’ve called me as well,” Scott told reporters. “There certainly seems to be a long list of folks who want to get involved.”
An Aug. 11 special Republican Senate primary will be held, the winner of which will take on Democratic nominee Annie Andrews in the November midterm elections for a full six-year term.
Scott, who leads the Senate GOP’s campaign arm, noted he would not put his thumb on the scale of the primary as a campaign chairman but could make an endorsement in a personal capacity as Graham’s former home state colleague. The seat is firmly in the GOP’s hands for the general election, meaning the nominee is all but certain to win in November.
“As Tim Scott, the voter of South Carolina, I might indeed wade into the water at some point,” Scott said.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Nordone for comment. She assumed her brother’s seat Tuesday after being appointed by Gov. Henry McMaster (R-SC) and will serve the remainder of Graham’s term, which ends in January 2027. It’s unclear whether she would be interested in running for the permanent position and was believed to be only a temporary caretaker of the seat.
Scott has lobbied Fox News host Trey Gowdy, a former South Carolina Republican congressman, to launch a bid but was reportedly turned down.
“I can’t think of a better person that I think represents the heart of South Carolina than Trey Gowdy,” Scott said. “However, he’s been pretty clear that he is not looking for the job [or] asking for the job.”
Newly-appointed U.S. interim Senator Darline Graham Nordone, right, with Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., left, speaks during a press conference announcing her appointment to fill the vacancy created by the passing of her brother, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, at the statehouse Monday, July 13, 2026, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Sean Rayford)
" data-large-file="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/AP26194765305849.jpg?w=696" src="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/AP26194765305849.jpg?w=696" alt="Newly-appointed U.S. interim Senator Darline Graham Nordone, right, with Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., left, speaks during a press conference announcing her appointment to fill the vacancy created by the passing of her brother, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, at the statehouse" class="wp-image-4650488" srcset="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/AP26194765305849.jpg 1024w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/AP26194765305849.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/AP26194765305849.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/AP26194765305849.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/AP26194765305849.jpg?resize=696,464 696w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px">Newly-appointed interim Sen. Darline Graham Nordone (R-SC), right, with Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), left, speaks during a press conference announcing her appointment to fill the vacancy created by the death of her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, at the statehouse Monday, July 13, 2026, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Sean Rayford)
Other potential contenders include the state’s three unsuccessful candidates for governor this year: Reps. Ralph Norman (R-SC) and Nancy Mace (R-SC), and Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette. Rep. Russell Fry (R-SC), who has close ties to President Donald Trump, is another possible candidate.
Graham was set to score his fifth reelection in November but died suddenly over the weekend after a tear in his aorta, according to preliminary medical findings.
SCOTT BESSENT SAYS THERE IS ‘NO CHANCE’ HE WILL RUN FOR LINDSEY GRAHAM’S SENATE SEAT
Graham was chairman of the Senate Budget Committee and among the most foreign policy-focused Republicans in Congress. He was a strong supporter of Ukraine in its war against Russia and had just returned from an overseas trip to the country when he died. Among the qualities Scott wants Graham’s ultimate successor to embody is a “desire for a foreign policy footprint” and someone “who understood the humble beginnings.”
“It’s more important for me to talk about the qualities that I want to see in the person, as opposed to the qualities I don’t see in some of the folks,” Scott said of candidates. “In my opinion, the voters get to decide whether or not the candidate has qualities or not.”