Darline Graham

Graham was born in Central, in Pickens County, South Carolina, on June 12, 1964.[2] Her parents operated a restaurant and bar; her mother died when she was 11 and her father about 15 months later, after which she lived with an aunt and uncle in Seneca, with her brother Lindsey as her legal guardian.[8] She earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from the College of Charleston in 1989 and a master's degree in rehabilitation counseling from South Carolina State University in 2009, and she is a Certified Public Manager.[2][4][6]

Graham has said her career spans nearly 30 years of public service in South Carolina.[1][6] Before becoming commissioner she held roles with Clemson University, the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce and the South Carolina Department of Vocational Rehabilitation.[6] In 2008 she joined the South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Department, where she helped coordinate a remote-work program for adults with severe disabilities and by 2015 was public information director.[8] In 2019 she became commissioner and agency head of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind, which provides vocational rehabilitation, independent-living training and other services to people who are blind or have low vision; her campaign says she led 130 employees in 10 offices and oversaw a $90 million budget.[1][4][6] She also served on the South Carolina State Workforce Development Board and was elected president of the National Council of State Agencies for the Blind, with a term set to begin in January 2027.[6][8]

Graham had never held elected office before her appointment, though she appeared in a 2002 television ad for her brother's Senate campaign, took part in his later campaigns, introduced him at his 2016 presidential campaign launch and traveled to Iowa to help that campaign.[4][8] After Lindsey Graham died on July 11, 2026, McMaster appointed her to fill the vacancy, and she took the oath of office on July 14. She is the first woman to represent South Carolina in the U.S. Senate and the first senator to succeed a sibling.[2][4][6][8] In the 2026 special Republican primary on August 11 she placed first with 32.8%, then won the August 25 runoff against Rep. Ralph Norman with 52.6% of the vote (180,231 to 162,497).[1][3] Her committee assignments are Appropriations, Budget, Environment and Public Works, and Judiciary. On July 16, 2026 she introduced the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which passed both chambers and was signed into law in September.[8] Graham is married, has two daughters and lives in Lexington, South Carolina.[4][6] She ran in the November 3, 2026 election to complete the term.[1][3] She received 46.6% of the vote to Annie Andrews's 51.1%, according to unofficial results reported by NBC News.[5]