President Donald Trump on Friday endorsed Sen. Darline Graham Nordone to run for a full term in November, in what could become a historic moment for the United States Senate. She was appointed last week by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster to temporarily fill a seat vacated by her late brother, Lindsey Graham.
Graham Nordone, whose appointment also came as a suggestion from Trump, was sworn in on July 14 and subsequently visited the White House.
After that meeting, Trump urged her to join the Republican special primary scheduled for Aug. 11.
“During her visit, I asked Darline, for the Good of our Nation, to run for the U.S. Senate,” he wrote on Truth Social. “I hope Darline does this, in that there would be nobody better to honor the legacy of her beloved brother, Lindsey.”
Graham Nordone, who has never held an elected office, will otherwise fill the seat until the winner is sworn in next January. If she did choose to run and win herself, she would become the first person in American history to succeed a sibling in the Senate.
She is considering Trump’s suggestion, according to the news platform Semafor, which cites sources close to the situation. Four people familiar with the matter also reportedly told the Associated Press that she had expressed interest in a potential campaign.
Graham Nordone’s office did not return TIME’s request for comment.
Republican leaders have been supportive about Graham Nordone’s first days in office, with National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Tim Scott saying this week in a press conference that she “has been off to a remarkable start” and could be a “seriously good fit for the state.”
But her entrance into the political sphere could shake up the outcomes in what is already a closely watched midterm election as Republicans strive to keep their majority in the Senate.
How the special primary election could shake up the Senate
The late Lindsey Graham was set to run for a fifth term in the Senate this fall and would have likely been a dependable win for Republicans. Now, they may face a crowded and less predictable race.
While candidates will have from July 21 to July 28 to announce their intentions to run, known contenders include businessman Mark Lynch and Rep. Ralph Norman—who may be joined by other House representatives in the coming days.
Lynch has already announced his candidacy after receiving 29% of the vote earlier this year when he faced off against Graham.
Rep. Ralph Norman, who currently represents the state’s 5th congressional district, announced last week that he will run to replace Graham.
“President Trump needs proven conservative fighters standing with him — not politicians who fold when the pressure comes,” Norman wrote on his website. It names his priorities as border security and passing the SAVE Act.
In an interview with Fox News on Saturday, he said that Trump’s endorsement of another potential candidate would not “deter” him.
“I wanted [Trump’s] blessing to run and get his support. He decided to go with Darline, who’s a nice person, and he decided to go with her. And so I respect that,” Norman said.
However, Florida Sen. Rick Scott and Utah Sen. Mike Lee backed Norman—highlighting differing views among prominent Republican allies of Trump.
Rep. Nancy Mace is also expected to join the fray. After Graham’s death, she told CNN that “there will be time to decide” and did not rule out the possibility. Rep. Russell Fry also hinted at a possible run on July 18, saying on X that he has a “big decision to make soon.”
With several candidates in the running, the decision could be a critical one for the GOP. Sen. Mitch McConnell’s medical leave already narrows Republicans to a 51-48 majority in the Senate. Whomever wins the special election in South Carolina would be facing Democrat Annie Andrews, a pediatrician whose campaign has focused on health care, abortion rights, and gun safety. The Republican Party will want its strongest possible candidate to face her in November.
Norman appears to have an early edge as of last week. An Emerson College Polling/Nexstar Media survey released July 16 shows that 18% of South Carolinians are undecided about who they’d vote for in the special elections, while 16% support Norman, 10% support Mace, and 6% say they would vote for Graham Nordone.
While Graham Nordone may be trailing behind other contenders, Trump’s endorsement holds weight—and may even be powerful enough to reshape the race. According to Ballotpedia, 97% of candidates endorsed by Trump in the 2026 primaries won their races as of July 8. Trump’s influence may be especially persuasive to undecided voters, according to American Pulse and Research Polling. Graham credited Trump with lifting him to victory during the primaries in June, saying that his early endorsement “changed everything.”
Brent Nelson, professor of politics at Furman University, believes the endorsement is enough to turn Graham Nordone into a “frontrunner.”
“Her superpower will be her loyalty to Trump,” he tells TIME. However, he adds, her lack of experience will be her greatest liability.
She could “easily” lose her advantage because she’s an “unknown quantity” to voters, he says.
“The other candidates mentioned as possible top-tier possibilities all have statewide name recognition, and that means a lot in a short campaign,” he explains.
And even with a bump in support from those looking to take an ideological cue from Trump, Graham Nordone would face the uphill battle of running her first campaign while simultaneously continuing to fulfill the day-to-day duties of the office. Unlike her prospective rivals, she would enter the race as an appointed incumbent with no previous electoral experience, buoyed by her brother’s political legacy—a position that is unusual in and of itself.
The race could potentially set a new precedent for succession
Graham Nordone’s gubernatorial appointment is not uncommon: 46 states empower their governor to immediately fill vacant Senate seats, rather than hold special elections to figure out who will finish out the term. The only states in which governors do not have the power to do so are Kentucky, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin.
Many governors appoint another elected official who is already known to constituents, which was the case in January 2023, when Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska resigned to become president of the University of Florida, and Gov. Jim Pillen appointed the state’s former governor, Pete Ricketts, to replace him. Another scenario involves appointing a trusted member of staff as an interim replacement—such as when New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy appointed his former Chief of Staff George Helmy to replace Sen. Bob Menendez in 2024.
But it is not unheard of for a relative of the former senator to step in. At least 45 widows have directly succeeded their late husbands in Congress, according to 2025 data from the House of Representatives.
If she does pursue and win the full term, however, Graham Nordone would be the first to succeed a sibling in the U.S. Senate.