Darline Graham has officially filled the South Carolina Senate seat left vacant by the death of her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) swore Graham in just after 2:30 p.m. Tuesday on the Senate floor amid applause from colleagues and staff. Graham was escorted on the floor by Sens. Tim Scott (S.C.) and Katie Britt (Ala.). She shook Grassley’s hand but did not make a separate speech.
Republicans’ swift move to fill the late senator’s seat maintains the party’s already slim margin in the chamber as it tries to advance priorities before August recess.
Graham — who makes history as the first woman to represent South Carolina in the Senate — is not a politician and little is known about her policy stances. She previously headed up the South Carolina Commission for the Blind, which connects people who are blind or have low vision to resources in the state.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune signaled Tuesday Graham could choose to stay on her brother’s committees after his sudden death. The late Graham served on Senate Budget, Judiciary, Appropriations and Environment and Public Works.
“We’ll figure out which of his committees she wants to stay on, and then we’ll go from there,” Thune told reporters.
Republicans close to the Graham family said despite the fact that her career has mostly unfolded outside of political offices, she has much in common with her late brother.
Scott Farmer, a longtime former campaign manager for her brother, said Graham’s work over the past several years has focused on streamlining work at the agency and protecting taxpayer dollars.
Farmer, who had a meeting with Graham Monday, said she shares her brother’s views “on most topics” and that both had a sense of loyalty and fiscal conservatism.
“She’s less of an extrovert than Senator Graham, but they’re both strongly grounded and opinionated,” Farmer added.
Kevin Bishop, who served as late senator’s communications director for over 25 years until 2024, said in an interview people will be “pleasantly surprised” at her similarities with her brother.
Bishop said she closely followed his work and had been involved in his campaigns so “this is not going to be a babe-in-the-woods kind of thing.”
Many Republicans Monday said they hadn’t yet met Graham’s sister but a handful, including Sens. Roger Marshall (Kansas) and Mike Rounds (S.D.) and South Carolina Reps. Joe Wilson and Sheri Biggs, said they knew her and believed she’s a good fit to carry out his legacy.
Wilson and Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) were present on the Senate floor for Graham’s swearing in.
“She’s going to do exactly what Lindsey would have wanted her to do, and I’ve got no doubt about that,” said a person close to the Graham family, granted anonymity to speak candidly.
“She is her own person, and certainly has lived as private a life as she can, being a sister to Lindsey Graham. But … they’re cut from the same cloth.”
Graham is set to serve the remainder of her brother’s term, and an Aug. 11 primary election is underway to select a Republican candidate to run for the seat in the next Congress.
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