With Nordone's buy-in, the next call the governor placed was to the White House. "How fitting a tribute to Lindsey Graham would it be ... to appoint Darline Nordone, his sister, to finish Lindsey's work this time and to put that beautiful bookend on the story of his service?" Henry McMaster said, describing how he laid out his thinking to Donald Trump. The president, whose blessing is key in deeply conservative South Carolina, was "very receptive" to the idea. Trump then made that approval clear on Truth Social on Monday morning when he said her appointment would be a "fabulous tribute" to the late senator.

South Carolina Republicans expect Nordone to only serve as a caretaker to finish Graham's term, though Nordone hasn't signaled whether she will mount her own bid for a full six-year term. The jockeying for the Aug. 11 primary has already begun in the deep-red state where an open Senate seat is a rare opportunity.

Republicans point to Rep. Russell Fry as a possible top contender, with deep ties to Columbia and Trump's White House. Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette is also seen as a top contender due to high name recognition. Others like Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman have more clearly signaled intent to run, but no candidates have officially announced. Trump has yet to state preferences for a full-term candidate.