Darline Nordone (left) seen at the Iowa state fair in 2015 with her older brother./SCREENGRAB
President Donald Trump has called for the sister of Senator Lindsey Graham to serve as his temporary replacement after the South Carolina lawmaker died from an aortic tear on Saturday.
Trump said on Truth Social that he recommended to South Carolina's governor that Graham's sister, Darline Nordone, serve as interim senator.
"This would be a fabulous tribute to Lindsey, who loved her dearly!" wrote Trump on Monday. Graham, who never married or had children, was close with his sister, who he legally adopted after their parents died while they were young.
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster plans to hold a news conference to announce an appointment to fill the vacancy until January.
Graham, who died over the weekend at 71, had been running for re-election in November, and had the Republican Party's nomination. Several other Republican candidates already have announced plans to run for his Senate seat.
"I recommended to Governor Henry McMaster, Lindsey Graham's wonderful sister, Darline, to serve as interim Senator from the Great State of South Carolina," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform on Monday.
"This would be a fabulous tribute to Lindsey, who loved her dearly!"
South Carolina Republican Senator Tim Scott said earlier on Monday that he would support her as Graham's replacement, telling CBS News she "would be a wonderful placeholder".
At 16:00EDT (20:00GMT), McMaster is due to host a news conference "to reflect on the life and service" of Graham, and to "announce an appointment to fill the vacancy created by the senator's passing".
Graham and his sister lost their parents with both their mother and father dying within 15 months of each other.
Graham was 22 at the time, and his sister was 13. She lived with family members, maintaining a close relationship with Graham as he studied law and served in the Air Force.
"He's kind of like a brother, a father and a mother rolled into one," Nordone told the New York Times in 2015.
Graham later adopted her, telling journalists it was so that she would receive his military benefits should anything happen to him.
She has been at his side throughout his political career. Graham even suggested previously that she would serve as his first lady if he were elected president.
Nordone, a mother of two who works helping people with disabilities find jobs, has not yet commented on her brother's death.
