Sen. Lindsey Graham, a dominant force in Republican foreign policy and one of South Carolina’s longest-serving elected officials, died Saturday after a sudden illness, his office announced. He was 71.
A statement released Sunday said Graham died following a “brief and sudden illness.” Officials did not disclose a cause of death.
According to multiple reports, first responders were dispatched to the senator’s Capitol Hill residence Saturday evening after he complained of chest pains. He was taken to George Washington University Hospital, where he later died.
The news came just days after Graham returned from a diplomatic visit to Ukraine. During the trip, he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss continued military assistance and tougher sanctions on Russia, appearing active and engaged in Senate business until his final days.
Graham spent more than 30 years on Capitol Hill, first winning a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in the Republican wave election of 1994. Eight years later, he was elected to the Senate, succeeding the retiring Strom Thurmond, and went on to build a reputation as one of the chamber’s most outspoken voices on military affairs, judicial nominations and international security.
A former Air Force judge advocate who retired from the Air Force Reserve as a colonel, Graham was widely regarded as one of Congress’ leading foreign policy hawks. Throughout his career, he championed a strong national defense, backed robust support for Israel and remained one of the Republican Party’s most vocal advocates for continued U.S. assistance to Ukraine.
His political trajectory also reflected the changing Republican Party. After clashing with Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign, Graham ultimately became one of the president’s closest Senate allies, helping advance major legislative priorities while serving as chairman of the Senate Budget Committee.
Leaders from the United States and abroad quickly honored Graham’s legacy. President Trump remembered him as “one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised him as “a true defender of freedom,” while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had lost “one of its greatest friends.”
Graham had recently won the Republican nomination for what would have been a fifth Senate term. South Carolina law calls for the state Republican Party to choose a replacement nominee through a special primary before November’s general election. Gov. Henry McMaster is expected to appoint an interim senator to complete the remainder of Graham’s current term, which ends in January.
