Sunny Hostin, a co-host of ABC’s daytime talk show The View, expressed strong disagreement with the appointment of Darline Graham to fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Darline Graham was appointed on Monday by South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster to serve out the remainder of the Senate term, which runs through January 2027. She is the first woman to represent South Carolina in the U.S. Senate.
On a broadcast of The View, Hostin questioned Graham’s qualifications and criticized the circumstances of her appointment, pointing out that Graham’s professional background is in optometry.
“I don’t love it. I don’t love it,” Hostin said on the show. “You know, she’ll be the first woman to be a U.S. senator in South Carolina in the history of the state. And I think that that’s just… It’s just fundamentally wrong that South Carolina… South Carolina just couldn’t elect a woman, and this is the only way that it was done.”
Hostin went on to emphasize the importance of political background for the role. “I think that experience does matter. And while she is a certified optician, and while she has done great work in that field, I-I don’t think that she should be representing the people of South Carolina in the U.S. Senate. I-I just don’t…”
Co-host Joy Behar chimed in during the segment, asking, “Isn’t this the very definition of a D.E.I.?”
Hostin agreed with Behar’s characterization, calling the appointment contradictory to the platform of the Republican Party.
“Correct. Correct. It’s everything that the Republican Party stands against,” Hostin responded. “Everything. Everything. It’s D.E.I., nepotism, all these things thrown in together. And, you know, at this very same time, Pete Hegseth blocked more promotions for women, in particular for women of color to become admirals. And so this is happening… I-I feel like our government is fundamentally broken. And I just… I-I disagree. I disagree with this.”
Behar replied, “I-I agree with you.”
The temporary appointment of Graham follows the sudden death of her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, on Saturday at the age of 71. Before her appointment to the Senate, Graham served as the commissioner of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind starting in 2019, and previously held positions at Clemson University and other state agencies.
Graham will serve as an interim senator until the new Congress convenes in January 2027. A special primary election is scheduled in South Carolina for August 11, 2026, to determine the nominees who will run in November’s general election to fill the seat for a full six-year term.
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