Darline Graham, the South Carolina interim senator and sister of the late Lindsey Graham, said she plans to run for a full Senate term after Donald Trump endorsed her last week.
In an interview with Sean Hannity that will air in full on Monday, Graham – who was appointed by Governor Henry McMaster to finish the remainder of her brother’s term – said she had “made a decision”.
“I’m in,” she told the Fox News anchor.
Graham, 62, made history as the first woman to represent South Carolina in the Senate when she was sworn in last week.
Her brother, Lindsey died earlier this month, aged 71, after what his office called a “brief and sudden illness”. The chief medical examiner preliminarily ruled that he died of aortic dissection due to cardiovascular disease.
On Friday, Trump said he had encouraged Darline Graham to run for a full six-year term representing South Carolina.
“I asked Darline, for the Good of our Nation, to run for the U.S. Senate in the Special Republican Primary,” he wrote on Truth Social. “Darline, who comes from an absolutely incredible family, has been a WINNER all of her life and, should she accept, has my Complete and Total Endorsement.”
Because Lindsey Graham won the Republican nomination last month, the state will now hold a special primary to replace him on the ballot on 11 August.
