00:00Following the passing of South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham, the late
00:04senator's sister Darlene Graham-Nordone was selected to serve out the
00:07remainder of his term. But how exactly was she chosen for the position? Here's
00:12everything you need to know. On Monday June 13th Darlene was tapped for the
00:17position by South Carolina governor Henry McMaster. In South Carolina as well
00:23as 35 other states U.S. Senate vacancies are temporarily filled by gubernatorial
00:28appointment until a special election is held coinciding with the next regularly
00:32scheduled election. President Trump had recommended Darlene to be chosen for the
00:36position as a way to honor her brother's legacy. There has also been a long
00:40precedent of relatives and spouses succeeding deceased Congress members.
00:45Spouses are by far the most common family members to succeed with the phenomenon
00:50even producing the phrase widow succession. In the Senate six widows have been
00:55appointed to fill the vacant seats of their departed husbands since 1931. In the
01:00House the precedent is even more extensive with 38 women directly
01:04succeeding their late husbands in special elections since 1923. Children of
01:10congressmen have also been temporarily appointed. In 1999 for example Lincoln
01:15Chafee was appointed to fill the vacant Rhode Island Senate seat of his late
01:18father Senator John Chafee. However the tradition has become increasingly
01:23uncommon in recent years. In the case of Darlene Graham-Nordone she is now the first
01:28sibling to be appointed to fill the seat of a deceased senator. Lindsey Graham did
01:33not marry and did not have any children. His only living immediate family member is
01:37Darlene with whom he shared an especially close relationship. Following the
01:42untimely deaths of both their parents Lindsey formally adopted his younger sister
01:46and became her legal guardian. Darlene was only 13 years old at the time. She recalled
01:52her then 22 year old brother telling her I'm going to take care of you. Lindsey came running
01:58in and just grabbed me up and hugged me and he was like I am so sorry. He said but
02:07it's gonna be okay I'm gonna take care of you.
02:10While Darlene has never held elected public office before she has dedicated her
02:15career to public service according to the governor's office. Since 2019 Darlene has
02:20served as commissioner of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind. After
02:25being sworn into office on Tuesday July 14th Darlene will serve until the end of
02:29her brother's term in January 2027. However if she decides to run for the
02:34position history suggests she could have a favorable outcome. As four of the six
02:39family members appointed to fill vacant Senate seats who decided to run for
02:42their seats special election came out victorious. A special primary election
02:47will be held on August 11th to find a new GOP standard bearer.
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