On Monday, Darline Graham Nordone announced she would run to replace her recently deceased brother Lindsey Graham as a US Senator representing South Carolina.
Lindsey Graham died suddenly of a heart issue on July 11 at 71 years old. He had been a Senator since 2002. In June, Graham won a primary to once again be the Republican nominee for his Senate seat in the upcoming November election. Under South Carolina law, the South Carolina Governor is entitled to appoint someone to finish out Graham's current Senate term, which ends in January. As for the November election for the next Senate term, South Carolina law requires a special primary election on August 11 to replace Graham on the ballot.
Almost immediately, prominent Republicans pushed to have South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster appoint Graham's younger sister Darline Graham Nordone to finish out her brother's Senate term. For instance,
On July 13, McMaster formally appointed Nordone to the seat. Soon after, President Donald Trump endorsed her to run in the special primary election for the Republican nomination for the Senate seat.
Then, on Monday, Nordone announced she would run for election to a six-year term in the Senate.
So, who is Nordone...apart from the sister of a prominent Senator? Nordone is 62 years old. She has a sociology degree and a Master of Arts degree in rehabilitation counseling. She has worked for almost 20 years in various South Carolina government positions concerning vocational rehabilitation and blindness issues.
Is she qualified to suddenly step into a prominent role of legislating for the entire nation? Well, who really knows? But, she certainly has a family pedigree that will increase the chances of keeping the Senate seat in the hands of the Republicans and those who will generally cooperate with the president.
Should we be troubled that blood relation to a prominent legislator seems to be her primary qualification for the job? In theory, one of the primary pillars supporting our nation is the idea that the people get to elect whoever they think will best represent them in Congress.
This was in stark contrast to England and much of the rest of the world throughout much of human history. In England, nobles were entitled to land, special rights, and political authority based on the family they were born into. The King was (and is) an inherited role. In Ancient Rome, positions as Senators and (later) Emperors, were largely inherited or hand-chosen by their predecessors with no input from the general public.
The United States' founders rejected the concepts of nobility and hereditary rule when drafting the US Constitution. Authority is not based on heredity or passed on to hand-picked favorites by those currently wielding it. Instead, the people would directly choose most of their state and federal representatives in fair and open elections, and certain other representatives (such as Senators prior to 1913 and technically still the President) would be selected/appointed by elected officials.
Unfortunately, despite heredity and familial relations playing no formal role in the US government, it has been a significant factor since the beginning. For instance, the second and sixth presidents were father and son. The 26th and 32nd presidents were distant cousins with the same last name. President John F. Kennedy appointed his brother Robert as Attorney General, and Robert seemed likely to be elected president himself before he was assassinated. The 41st and 43rd presidents were father and son. The wife of a former president narrowly lost the 2016 election. One of Kentucky's senators was elected after his father became a nationally prominent representative and presidential candidate. And there are many, many more examples.
There is nothing of which I am aware that justifies the support Nordone has received for being appointed to finish out her brother's Senate term and to run for a new term. Is she well-suited to represent South Carolina in the Senate and legislate for the entire nation? There is no reason to think so. Is she well-suited to impartially consider and vote on nominations made by Trump? There is no reason to think she is, and there are reasons to think she is not.
She has experience as a government employee in South Carolina, but how does that indicate she will be good at legislating on national and international affairs? Perhaps she is better-suited at running for a seat in the South Carolina legislature, as she is more familiar with the functioning of her state government.
What she really has is a famous name and a strong familial connection to a prominent, long-term Senator (and all the connections that entails). Republicans want to keep the Senate seat in the hands of a fellow Republican, particularly one who will likely support anything the president wants, as that seems to be the primary function of the Republican Party these days.
Generally, strong public name recognition, especially when the political timeline has been shortened due to a death or resignation, will give a candidate a significant edge in getting elected. Unfortunately, many or even most voters will simply vote for someone based on their party affiliation and if they recognize their name. The political establishment knows this, and, as a result, much of the establishment has thrown its weight behind Nardone.
Just because this is far from unusual and politically understandable does not mean we need to accept it. If elected, Nordone will likely hold her Senate seat for at least six and a half years. She will legislate for the entire nation. She will be tasked with overseeing the president. She will vote on nominations for courts and high government positions. Should Nordone really be elected to do these things because her brother did it before her?