Darline Graham Hit With Growing ‘Nepo Senator’ Backlash

Newly sworn-in Sen. Darline Graham Nordone is facing fresh criticism over her appointment to the Senate after the unexpected death of her brother.

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Graham, who held no prior elected office, was swiftly appointed and sworn into Congress just days after her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, unexpectedly died earlier this month.

“He’s worked so hard, for so long. I can’t just let that die. I’ve got to step in and carry on his legacy,” Graham said in an interview with Fox News this week.

But her rapid rise to fill the shoes of one of the most well-known senators has some questioning her credentials to be in the U.S. Senate.

Bloomberg columnist Nia-Malika Henderson flat-out wrote that Graham “wants the seat because her brother had the seat.”

“If she wins it, it will be because of rank nepotism, as her main qualification is her (former) last name. She has no real experience in politics, other than appearing in ads for her brother’s various campaigns to describe their close relationship,” she continued in the column headlined, “Just Say ‘No’ to Nepo Senators.”

She added that “I’m all for breaking all the glass ceilings and having more women in politics. But nepotism is no way to do it.”

The new criticism of her appointment and Senate run comes as her GOP colleagues have indicated that while Lindsey Graham was well known on both a personal and political level on both sides of the aisle, his sister is still a mystery to them.

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So far, she has taken over her brother’s quest to pass a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill, and has co-sponsored MAGA’s doomed voter legislation, the SAVE America Act. But she has still indicated that she won’t exactly be a replica of Lindsey.

Upon being sworn into office, she released a statement in which she said she was “not Lindsey” and had her “own way of doing things.”

She has also been critical of his keen focus on foreign policy, particularly his unwavering support for Ukraine and Israel, saying she would be focused more on domestic issues.

In an opinion piece published in the Utah-based Deseret News, writer Jennifer Graham wrote: “There is not unanimous agreement, even in South Carolina, that the seat should be gifted to her by Trump.”

While Trump has said there would “be nobody better to honor the legacy of her beloved brother, Lindsey,” and encouraged her to “RUN, DARLINE, RUN!” she is already facing challengers from her Capitol Hill colleagues.

Two MAGA House Republicans, Ralph Norman, who voted against certifying the 2020 election, and Russell Fry, have said they intend to run for the Senate seat. Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, who infamously disappeared to Argentina as he was involved with an extramarital affair, has also announced his bid for the Senate seat.