(CNN) — Darline Graham, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s younger sister, was sworn into the Senate on Tuesday to serve out the remainder of her brother’s term after his sudden death over the weekend.
She was appointed to the seat by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster and will remain in the Senate until January 2027. Graham is the first woman to represent South Carolina in the Senate. As she serves out the remainder of her brother’s term, a special primary election will take place August 11 to replace the late Republican lawmaker in November’s general election to determine who will next hold the seat for the upcoming six-year term.
Asked by CNN how she is doing and what the moment is like for her, Graham said, “Hanging in there, appreciate you being here,” as she left the Senate floor following her official swearing in.
Graham, 62, has not previously held elected office but has a long history of public service in the state of South Carolina. She has served as a commissioner for the South Carolina Commission for the Blind and has long worked with people with disabilities.
After their parents died within 15 months of each other, she became orphaned at age 13 in 1976. Lindsey Graham — the first in his family to attend college, and a member of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps — became his sister’s legal guardian.
The siblings were close their entire lives, Darline Graham told CNN’s Dana Bash in a 2015 interview after her brother launched his bid for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. “Even when my parents were alive, they worked really long, hard hours running a small business. So even then, he was a caregiver to me,” she said.
Lindsey Graham, a longtime Republican from South Carolina and ally of President Donald Trump, died following an aortic dissection, according to a preliminary finding from the Washington, DC, medical examiner. He was 71.
Throughout US history, governors have at times chosen family members to take over Senate seats for their loved ones, frequently with a spouse picked to step in. Former Vice President Hubert Humphrey’s wife is one example; Muriel Humphrey filled her husband’s Senate seat after he passed away, as did Hattie Caraway after her husband died in office in 1931. Caraway went on to become the first woman elected to the Senate in her own right in 1932.
Lincoln Chafee was appointed to fill his father’s Rhode Island Senate seat. Sen. Lisa Murkowski was appointed by her own father to take over his Senate seat after he became Alaska’s governor in 2002 — a controversial decision at the time.
The Senate chamber during Graham’s swearing in on Tuesday was a testament to the respect her new colleagues held for her late brother. Almost every Republican seat was filled, and many Democrats attended as well. Jared Kushner and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, both of whom had worked with the late Sen. Graham on international issues, sat in the galleries. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a longtime colleague of Lindsey Graham, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, a fellow South Carolinian, joined senators on the floor during the ceremony. Several House members from South Carolina also attended, including GOP Reps. Ralph Norman and Joe Wilson as well as Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer spoke with Darline Graham just before the ceremony, and GOP Sens. Katie Britt and Tim Scott escorted her to the dais, where Sen. Chuck Grassley administered her oath of office. Graham’s family in the gallery was emotional, as was Sen. Joni Ernst, who held tissues in her hand. The chamber rose to a standing ovation after the oath was administered, and Britt and Scott led Graham to her late brother’s desk. Scott placed the Bible Graham had used during her swearing in on the desk, resting his hand on it for a moment.
After Senate GOP Leader John Thune and Senate GOP Whip John Barrasso had shaken Graham’s hand, other senators crowded around to introduce themselves and say hello. They eventually formed two lines, with Graham alternating between each to greet her new colleagues. As the Senate began voting on advancing the annual defense policy package, senators were still taking turns to speak with her.
This story has been updated with additional details.
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