{"id":2591,"date":"2026-07-13T23:04:50","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T23:04:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=2591"},"modified":"2026-07-13T23:04:50","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T23:04:50","slug":"who-is-darline-graham-nordone-sen-lindsey-grahams-sister","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=2591","title":{"rendered":"Who is Darline Graham Nordone, Sen. Lindsey Graham\u2019s sister?"},"content":{"rendered":"
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…<\/strong><\/div>

By MEG KINNARD<\/strong><\/p>\n

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) \u2014 Darline Graham Nordone, who was appointed to serve the remaining months of the Senate term that her late brother, Lindsey Graham, left behind when he died over the weekend, hasn\u2019t been in office before.<\/p>

Read more Denver man arrested on murder charge after he reported his wife\u2019s death<\/a><\/p>\n

But through her brother\u2019s decades of public service, Nordone has been by his side, supporting him in speeches, appearances and even campaign ads.<\/p>\n

Besides being a frequent attendee at Graham\u2019s political events, Nordone is woven deeply into her brother\u2019s personal and political biography. After both of their parents died in just over a year, Graham, then age 22, became legal guardian for his 13-year-old sister.<\/p>\n

Now, after South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster tapped Nordone to serve in Graham\u2019s seat until January, Nordone is heading to Washington, tasked with representing the interests for which her brother advocated with passion.<\/p>\n

A special primary held next month will sort out what Republican moves forward in the general election to face Democrat Annie Andrews in November.<\/p>\n

From brother to legal guardian, Graham raised his sister<\/h4>\n

While Graham was in his early 20s, his life \u2014 and that of his sister \u2014 was turned upside down. Their mother died in 1976 after battling Hodgkin\u2019s lymphoma. Fifteen months later, his sister, then 13, discovered their father after he suffered a heart attack in his sleep and died.<\/p>\n

Graham was just beginning law school at the University of South Carolina. With both parents gone, he pivoted, saying that his chief goal was to ensure his sister was cared for.<\/p>

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\u201cI can remember the day my father passed away, standing in the living room of that house, absolutely scared to death,\u201d Nordone told NPR in 2015. \u201cLindsey wrapped his arms around me and promised me he would always be there for me and always take care of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Making regular treks from school in Columbia to Seneca, where his sister was being looked after by relatives, Graham kept tabs on his sister from then on and became her legal guardian. After he became a military lawyer in the Air Force, he adopted her, to ensure that she would receive his military benefits.<\/p>\n

Graham\u2019s bond with his sister was indelible<\/h4>\n