Skip to main content

Darline Graham, Lindsey Graham’s sister, says she will run for full Senate term

Sen. Darline Graham Nordone participates in a a ceremonial swearing-in at the U.S. Capitol, July 14, 2026, in Washington. (Finn Gomez/Getty Images)

(WASHINGTON) — Sen. Darline Graham, the sister of the late Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, confirmed in an interview with Fox News that aired Monday she will run for the seat for a full term, in addition to serving out the rest of Lindsey Graham’s unfinished one.

“I’ve been praying a lot, talking to my family. But with the love of my family, with the support of his staff — I know I’m a hard worker. I learned that from Lindsey. He cared about the people of this state. I’ve worked for almost 30 years for the people of this state,” she said in the interview.

“I feel like I can do it,” she continued. “I feel an inner peace about it. Will it be difficult? Yes, absolutely.”

Asked by Fox News anchor Sean Hannity if she’s inclined to get into the race or if she’s made a final decision, Darline Graham said, “I’ve made a decision.”

“You’re in?” Hannity asked, to which she responded, “I’m in.” 

Darline Graham was appointed by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster to finish the final few months of her brother’s current term, which expires in January. She was sworn in last week at the Capitol.

The late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s spot on the November general election ballot for a full six-year term is being filled by a special Republican primary election set for August 11. Filing for candidates for the primary opens on Tuesday and closes on July 28. 

Republican Reps. Ralph Norman and Russell Fry of South Carolina have already launched campaigns, as has businessman Mark Lynch, who ran against Lindsey Graham in the state’s regular June primary.

But on Friday, President Donald Trump endorsed Darline Graham, encouraging her to run for the seat and writing, “There would be nobody better to honor the legacy of her beloved brother, Lindsey.”

Darline Graham served as a commissioner on the South Carolina Commission for the Blind and has worked in other state roles, including in roles where she worked with individuals with disabilities.

Darline Graham has spoken about how her brother took care of her after both of their parents passed away when they were young.

Lindsey Graham died unexpectedly on July 11 at the age of 71. Memorial services for the longtime Republican lawmaker will take place in Washington, D.C., and South Carolina next week.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Former US archivists warn that Trump’s effort to ignore records law jeopardizes national security and government continuity

By CNN
(CNN) — Former leaders of the National Archives — which preserves and protects the nation’s most important documents — are urging a federal appeals court to reject the Trump administration’s effort to ignore the Presidential Records Act, a decades old law that requires presidents save all official records from their time in office.Six archivists, who served under both Republican and Democratic presidents, argue that the law is critical in maintaining “continuity of governance” and protecting national security.The archivists — a coalition covering every living person to have previously held the role before Marco Rubio’s brief appointment to the position at the beginning of Trump’s second term — filed an amicus brief Wednesday in support of a lawsuit from presidential scholars, historians and public transparency groups.The legal fight began after the Trump administration said it believed the president did not need to comply with decades-old record-keeping obligations set by Congress in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal. The law, which Trump’s Justice Department has claimed is unconstitutional, is intended to preserve documents so that future presidents, members of Congress, courts and the public can understand how an administration made critical decisions.“Preserving presidential records ensures that new leaders can have immediate and ongoing access to the data, strategy, and rationale behind past policy decisions,” the group said, noting that, in their experience, the most “frequent request for preserved presidential records comes from the incoming president’s national security advisors.”The archivists signed on to the brief are Trudy Huskamp Peterson, John W. Carlin, David S. Ferriero, Debra Steidel Wall, Colleen Shogan and William J. Bosanko — as well as Gary M. Stern, a former agency general counsel.The plea from the former archivists comes months after a federal judge in Washington said that White House staff must preserve their official records while the lawsuit plays out in court but declined to put any restrictions directly on the president, the vice president, the National Archives and archivist.In the May ruling, US District Judge John Bates concluded that the Presidential Records Act (PRA) was likely constitutional, rebuking the stance taken by the Justice Department earlier this year. The Justice Department has appealed the ruling to the US DC Circuit Court of Appeals. Oral arguments are slated for October 16.The PRA requires presidents and their staff to preserve White House records and turn those records over to the National Archives at the end of their administrations.It was instrumental in the chain of events that led to Trump’s prosecution for allegedly mishandling classified documents that he took from the White House at the end of his first term.The legal fight stems from a conclusion from Trump’s Office of Legal Counsel, a Justice Department office that gives advice to the executive branch, that the law was unconstitutional. The OLC memo was seen as an audacious move for a number of reasons, including for how it seemed to eschew Supreme Court precedent backing Congress’ power to regulate presidential record preservation. The guidance only addressed the preservation of email and text messages, rather than all electronic records, which the PRA covers.The American Historical Association and the left-leaning government transparency group American Oversight quickly filed a lawsuit, warning that presidential records they intend to use for their research “will be irretrievably lost” if the court didn’t intervene.The former archivists say the PRA “helps to bridge the gap between the outgoing and incoming administrations.”“Geopolitical tensions do not pause for an inauguration,” they wrote in the court filing. “Presidential records include the entire holdings of the National Security Council… such as sensitive intelligence assessments, treaty negotiations, and operational contingency plans. Ensuring that these files are preserved and seamlessly made available to new administration officials allows incoming national security advisors and cabinet officials to evaluate active threats, maintain diplomatic momentum, and make informed decisions during unexpected global crises.”The administration has rebuffed concerns, insisting that the “lion’s share” of presidential records are being preserved, because work being done by presidential staff on White House-issued phones is being kept.CNN’s Tierney Sneed contributed to this report.The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
Read Next Story

Related Stories

Latest News
Senador mexicano acusado de narcotráfico deja la bancada de Morena en medio de las presiones de EE.UU.
1 hour ago

Senador mexicano acusado de narcotráfico deja la bancada de Morena en medio de las presiones de EE.UU.

Los consumidores redujeron el gasto en julio mientras persistían las presiones inflacionarias

Cnn L19jb21wb25lbnRzL2ltYWdlL2luc3RhbmNlcy9jbXRhOXd1dXgwMDAwM2I2cjd3cjU4ZWNk L19jb21wb25lbnRzL2FydGljbGUvaW5zdGFuY2VzL2NtdGE1cmN3OTAwMnoyOHAxNjM5bmhoY3g=

Ohio Rep. running for reelection comes face-to-face in court with the senator whose daughter he’s accused of abusing

Carlos Alcaraz está de regreso en el lugar que conoció el estrellato y busca defender su corona en el US Open

Un estudio sugiere que humanos modernos conservan ADN de un antiguo "linaje fantasma"