Darline Graham Nordone, the sister and replacement of the late longtime Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, is facing new questions about her commitment to the pro-life cause after she was unable to answer a question about banning abortion starting at conception.
Lindsey Graham suddenly died of heart problems last month at 71, ending a two-decade career in the U.S. Senate that won him both firm friends and bitter enemies across the political spectrum. He is survived by younger sister Darline, for whom he took on a parental role after both their parents died (when Lindsey was 22 and Darline was 13).
Within days, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster named Nordone (with the backing of President Donald Trump) to serve the remainder of Graham’s term. She soon also confirmed a run for a full term as her brother’s permanent replacement, raising questions about her political views and qualifications for public office given the dearth of available information about her beyond a sympathetic life story. On August 11, she and U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman advanced to a primary runoff slated for August 25, after which the winner will face the Democrat nominee, pediatrician Annie Andrews.
Nordone (using only her maiden surname of Graham for the campaign) has declared her “belief in protecting the sanctity of human life at every stage” (stemming concerns about her past friendship with pro-abortion former Republican state Sen. Katrina Shealy).
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This week, however, Equal Protection South Carolina posted a clip of Graham being asked her position on abortion. “I support the six-week South Carolina abortion ban,” she said.
“What about before that? What if they would do, completely, abolition of it?” the questioner followed up.
“I don’t know, let me think about it,” Graham responded.
The moment indicated Graham has not decided whether or not she believes the preborn should be legally protected starting at conception and suggests (along with her debate-night admission “I’m not that informed on national security”) a broader lack of preparation. (Her campaign page has no “Issues” section beyond a simple tagline for “Conservative Values.”)
NOTUS reported that Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America had already endorsed Graham over Norman despite the latter’s 100% pro-life voting record, with president Marjorie Dannenfelser assuring supporters her “pro-life values are passionate and deeply rooted in principle.” In accepting the endorsement, Graham claimed she was the “most pro-life candidate in this race.”
Students for Life of America holds a different view. The group endorsed Norman, with president Kristan Hawkins expressing “real concerns about if (Graham is) really going to be a pro-life fighter in Washington, D.C.” and noting Graham’s campaign neglected to answer multiple outreach attempts. “Apparently, she thinks she’s got bigger fish to fry,” Hawkins added.
The National Right to Life Committee, meanwhile, says it intends to make an endorsement but has not announced who it will be.
Regardless, the loss of the elder Graham further complicates Republicans’ efforts to hold onto their narrow Senate majority in a challenging midterm election year. Lindsey was widely considered a lock to hold his seat, but a new and unproven nominee in his place could make the race competitive for the first time in years, even with a familial connection.
