Top story
Republicans are "freaking out" over Texas possibly going blue, GOP lawmaker divulges
The article from LGBTQ Nation reports that Texas politics are unsettled by a potential blue shift in the U.S. Senate race.
Updated Oct 16, 2026, 2:28 PM ET
Republican · 3 November 2026
Darline Graham Nordone
United States Senator from South Carolina (since 2026)
Darline Graham Nordone, a Republican appointed in July 2026 to her late brother Lindsey Graham's U.S. Senate seat, is her party's nominee for the South Carolina seat.
2026 Races & Market Forecast
Live TruthIndex™ and prediction market consensus for races contested by Darline Graham Nordone.
Latest coverage
Live News
Recent media coverage for Darline Graham Nordone.
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Darline Graham won't challenge Trump over Russia diesel deal
Sen. Darline Graham declined to say if President Trump's deal to lift sanctions on Russian diesel violated a sanctions bill named for her late brother.
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The married lesbian couple running a joint campaign to unseat Idaho's most powerful GOP lawmakers
Topic: Darline Graham Nordone and her political activity as part of a married lesbian couple campaigning to challenge powerful Idaho GOP lawmakers (as covered by LGBTQ Nation).
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Midterms Margins Prediction Markets: Key States Margin of Victory
Market view: Kalshi’s South Carolina Margin Market shows Darline Graham by 1+ point at about $0.84, with over $3 million traded. Traders currently imply an 85% chance of victory for Graham.
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China takes center stage in SC's US Senate contest
The Democrat trying to flip South Carolina’s U.S. Senate seat called Wednesday for Sen. Darline Graham to recuse herself from all trade and military votes involving China.
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S.C. Succession: Annie Andrews Blasts Darline Graham Nordone on China Ties
“It’s inappropriate for a senator to profit from business with China,” Andrews said. “It’s even worse to conceal those ties from the public. National security isn’t an elective when you’re a United States senator.
More coverage 2
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Andrews Rips Graham For Name-Change After 'Socialist' Dig: VIDEO
Longtime South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham died in July of this year.
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Michele Tafoya says she’s ‘pro-choice,’ despite record on abortion
Peggy Flanagan: Michele Tafoya would be a ‘yes, sir’ senator for Trump August 13, 2026 / 11:22
ms.now
Tafoya
No story this week names this candidate.
- Born
- June 12, 1964
- Birthplace
- Central, South Carolina
- Education
- College of Charleston (Bachelor of Science in sociology, 1989)
South Carolina State University (Master of Arts in rehabilitation counseling, 2009)
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
Darline Graham Nordone was born Darlene Lettie Graham on June 12, 1964, in Central, South Carolina, and grew up in living quarters behind the family business, where her parents, F. J. and Millie Graham, ran a restaurant and bar with a liquor store and pool hall.
Her mother died when she was 11, followed 15 months later by her father. Her older brother, Lindsey Graham, became her legal guardian and arranged for her to stay with relatives in Seneca; he also taught her to write her first name as "Darline", the form she has used since.
She earned a sociology degree at the College of Charleston in 1989 and a master's in rehabilitation counseling at South Carolina State University in 2009.
Career
In 2008 Graham took a job with the South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Department, where she worked on a remote employment program for severely disabled adults and later directed public information. The South Carolina Commission for the Blind named her commissioner in 2019.
In 2026 the National Council of State Agencies for the Blind chose her as its president, for a term from January 2027. She also took part in her brother's campaigns, appearing in a 2002 Senate advertisement and introducing him at the opening speech of his 2016 presidential run.
Lindsey Graham died on July 11, 2026. Governor Henry McMaster appointed his sister to the vacancy on July 13, and she was sworn in the following day, becoming both the first woman in the U.S. Senate from South Carolina and the first senator to follow a sibling in office. On July 16 she introduced the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which became law in September.
2026 race
Her brother had won the June 9 Republican primary. Backed by President Donald Trump, Graham Nordone led the field in the August 11 special primary and won the August 25 runoff against Representative Ralph Norman with 52.5% of the vote. On November 3 she faces the Democratic nominee, pediatrician Annie Andrews, and the winner will become the first woman South Carolina voters have sent to the Senate.