Darline Graham Nordone will be sworn in Tuesday afternoon to serve the final months of Lindsey Graham’s term after Gov. Henry McMaster named her his temporary successor.
71-year-old Graham died Saturday night from an aortic dissection, creating a vacancy McMaster said he moved to fill after asking Nordone to serve in the early hours of Sunday.
Nordone, an optician and former state agency employee from Lexington, becomes the first woman to represent South Carolina in the U.S. Senate.
An Aug. 11 special Republican primary is set to choose a nominee for the Nov. 3 election, though the timetable may conflict with the 45-day federal deadline for overseas and military ballots.
The sudden opening has triggered a scramble among South Carolina Republicans including Alan Wilson, Pamela Evette, Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman for a seat the GOP has long dominated statewide.