(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump said on Monday he wants Lindsey Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, to be his temporary replacement in the Senate.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster announced around the same time as Trump’s post that he will be making an announcement about who is appointing to the Senate seat at 4 p.m. on Monday
ABC News has reached out to McMaster’s office about Trump’s push for Nordone to be Graham’s replacement. ABC News has already reached out to Nordone for comment.
Trump wrote in a social media post that he made his recommendation to McMaster, and said it would a “fabulous tribute” to Graham.
Separate from the temporary replacement to complete Graham’s term, South Carolina will hold a special election on Aug. 11 to replace Graham as the Republican nominee on the general election ballot this November.
Graham and his sister shared an incredibly close relationship. After their parents died when Graham was only 22 years old, he took on a caretaker role for his younger sister, becoming her legal guardian.
Nordone, in a recent video for Graham’s reelection campaign, said of her brother, “He’s always been there for me, no matter what.”
It is not immediately clear if Nordone has any political experience or aspirations. According to The New York Times, Nordone is a mother of two and has worked to help people with disabilities find jobs.
Graham’s office announced over the weekend that the longtime Republican lawmaker had died suddenly at the age of 71. Preliminary findings from the Medical Examiner of the District of Columbia said the senator died from an “aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.”
Trump, in an interview with “Fox and Friends” on Monday morning, called Graham a “friend” and praised his work on shepherding through the nomination of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his first term.
“He had fun with politics, but he was really good at it,” Trump said of Graham. “And then when he got angry, like he did in the case of Brett Kavanaugh, it was so impactful.”
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