By admin 
U.S. Sen. Darline Graham advanced to a runoff for the Republican Senate nomination in South Carolina on Tuesday evening.
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The nomination was left open by the sudden death of longtime senator Lindsey Graham.
She finished first and received more than 109,600, or nearly 33%, votes. The crowded 10 candidate field slimmed to two, who will compete in a runoff Aug. 25 after no one received more than 50% of votes on Tuesday.
Graham will face U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman in the runoff. The winner will compete against Democratic nominee Annie Andrews in November.
Graham, 62, lives in Lexington County with her husband, Larry Nordone. She has two daughters and a grandson.
Here are five other things to know about Graham.
She’s the sister of Lindsey Graham
Graham’s older brother was Lindsey Graham, the longtime U.S. Senator from South Carolina who died July 11.
The siblings grew up together in their parents’ bar, pool hall and liquor store in Central, South Carolina, a small town near Clemson University. After both parents’ died, Lindsey Graham took care of, and eventually adopted, his teenage sister.
Darline Graham often campaigned with Lindsey Graham and appeared in his election ads. Lindsey Graham never married, but he was close with Darline Graham and her family throughout his life. Graham said Tuesday night she hasn’t had time to fully process her brother’s sudden death yet.
When Graham was appointed to the U.S. Senate and began campaigning for a full term, she inherited many members of his staff.
Graham said she was typically more nervous for her brother on election night than she was on Tuesday evening, while waiting for results to come in.
“I was probably always more nervous for Lindsey than myself,” Graham told reporters Tuesday night. “I’m not saying I wasn’t nervous, but I think I was always a little more nervous for him.”
Graham worked in SC government but never held elected office
Graham led the state Commission for the Blind since 2019. As commissioner, she pulled in a $160,080 salary. The agency helps blind and low vision South Carolinians build skills and find employment.
She also worked as a business services and communications director at the South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Department.
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She’s the appointed incumbent
Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Graham to complete her late brother’s term July 13, two days after his death.
Graham has cast votes and co-sponsored legislation in Washington, D.C., in the weeks since. The Senate schedule kept her off the campaign trail in South Carolina for several days during the short primary.
While campaigning, Graham did flex the Senate passage of a sanctions bill targeting Russia and Iran, which was previously championed by her brother.
“I’m really proud because one of the things I’ve already done is I got the Sanction Russia and Iran Act of 2026 across the finish line,” Graham said in West Columbia on Monday. “That was huge. It had a lot of bipartisan support, so very, very proud of that. And I know Lindsey’s looking down from heaven, just smiling about that one.”
McMaster did not appoint Graham intending her to compete for a full term, though it wasn’t unexpected, the governor told reporters Tuesday.
Graham is the first woman to represent South Carolina in the U.S. Senate.
She says affordability is a top issue
Lindsey Graham, who served in the U.S. Air Force for 33 years, was heavily involved in foreign policy, but Darline Graham said she would focus on affordability if elected.
“I’ve struggled for several years, just like everyone else does, so I’m more about the affordability because I know how it feels to have to work paycheck to paycheck,” Graham told reporters in West Columbia on Aug. 10.
She has spoken about her daughters who have health issues and the toll high medical costs have on her family.
On nearly every issue, Graham said she would back, and trusted, President Donald Trump.
Graham is endorsed by Trump
Trump endorsed Graham before she decided to campaign for a full term. When he died, Lindsey Graham was a close ally and friend of the president.
“She’s tough,” Trump said on a call on Monday evening. “She looks so nice, but she’s actually tough and strong, and she’s the perfect person to carry on Lindsey’s legacy, and frankly, what I want to do.”
How involved Trump will be in Graham’s runoff campaign remains to be seen.
U.S. Sen. Tim Scott also endorsed Graham on Wednesday morning and said he voted for her in the initial primary.
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