WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham died on Saturday night of a “brief and sudden illness,” the South Carolina Republican’s office announced early Sunday.
“Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period,” the statement added.
Graham, who turned 71 on Thursday, was a close ally of President Donald Trump and chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. In June he defeated five Republican challengers in the Senate primary in South Carolina and was to face Democrat Annie Andrews in the general election.
A statement shared with the media Sunday night by Graham’s office, citing the District of Columbia medical examiner, said he died following an aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease. According to the Mayo Clinic, an aortic dissection occurs when there is a tear in the inner layer of the aorta, the body’s main artery; blood rushes through the tear; and the inner and middle layers of the aorta split.
Trump on social media called Graham “one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known.”
“He was always working, and was a true American Patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!! DETAILS AND ARRANGEMENTS TO FOLLOW. So sad!”
“I got a message about 1 o’clock in the morning from one of the people in his office that he had passed away,” said Trump.
“He was a great politician actually,” said Trump, who had endorsed Graham. “There was nobody like him. He loved being a politician, and he was going to win his election, he was going to win it big.”
Trump said if he “had a problem with a Democrat, he could work it out,” and added that Graham in their final conversation underlined his advocacy for the SAVE America Act, an elections bill stalled in the Senate.
Asked by Welker if he had anyone in mind who should be appointed to the seat, Trump said, “I have somebody that I think would be great, but I don’t want to say it now because … it’s too soon.”
Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, also on “Meet the Press,” said, “The entire state has lost a statesman. I have lost a friend.” He said he expected at least one or two U.S. House members from South Carolina would be considered for the appointment to Graham’s seat.
Former President Joe Biden, a Democratic member of the Senate from Delaware before his election to the presidency, said on social media he and Graham served together for more than a decade and worked closely on many issues as members of the Foreign Relations Committee. “We disagreed often, and sometimes loudly,” said Biden. “Lindsey and I did agree on the profound importance of public service. Like me, he loved the Senate as an institution, even with all its flaws and complexities.”
Trump said Sunday afternoon has has ordered all U.S. flags be lowered to half staff until July 18.
Return from Ukraine
Graham, the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs, while in Ukraine met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who posted photos of the two of them on X on Friday. “This is already his 10th visit to our country, and we appreciate this support,” Zelenskyy said then.
Early Sunday, Zelenskyy posted on social media: “Deeply saddened by the news of the passing of United States Senator Lindsey Graham. Lindsey was a true defender of freedom and the values that make our world safer.” He said they had met twice on Graham’s most recent visit.
Graham’s office did not provide additional details on the circumstances of his death. The Washington Post, citing police scanner audio, reported that emergency responders at Graham’s Washington, D.C., home worked to stabilize a man on Saturday night and transported the individual to a hospital.
NBC News reported that the response, according to emergency responders’ audio, was to a call for “cardiac arrest” and CPR was in progress. “Photographs from the scene reviewed by NBC News show paramedics carrying a person on a stretcher from Graham’s home to an awaiting ambulance. Police cars and fire trucks were also on site,” NBC said.
‘My heart is heavy’
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said in a statement “my heart is heavy” to learn of Graham’s death.
“Lindsey’s long and dedicated service in the Air Force and in Congress carried him to far-flung regions of the world,” Thune said. “He was a strong advocate for the United States and a strong ally to freedom-loving countries across the globe. He believed in the might of America to achieve good in the world and dedicated his life to advancing that cause.”
Graham, who was born in Central, S.C., first joined Congress in 1994 when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from the Third Congressional District. He was elected to the Senate in 2002 and reelected in 2008, 2014 and 2020.
He earned undergraduate and law degrees from the University of South Carolina and spent six-and-a-half years on active duty as an Air Force lawyer. He then served in the South Carolina Air National Guard and Air Force Reserves, according to his official biography, retiring at the rank of colonel in 2015.
Also under South Carolina law, a special primary election must be held to select the next Republican nominee to the seat Graham held. The special primary is set for Aug. 11 with a runoff if needed on Aug. 25, the Daily Gazette reported.
The Democratic nominee for Senate, Andrews, expressed her condolences on X. “From his small-town South Carolina roots to the halls of the U.S. Senate, he was a man of great faith who proudly served our nation as a JAG officer and Air Force colonel,” she said. “I hope that South Carolinians will join me in setting partisanship aside and offering gratitude to Senator Lindsey Graham for his service to the great state of South Carolina.”
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said on social media he and his family were “devastated” by Graham’s death. “Lindsey Graham is irreplaceable,” he said. “The fiercest of fighters for South Carolina and America—and a loyal and steadfast friend.”
Narrow margin in Senate
Republicans control the Senate with 53 seats. Graham’s death came as concerns have mounted about the continuing absence of 84-year-old Sen. Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, whose office has said he has been hospitalized since June 14 for an undisclosed condition.
McConnell released a statement Sunday saying he fell before he was hospitalized and he has moved from being a hospital patient to “a rehabilitation center where I’ll keep regaining my strength.”
Senators expressed their condolences to Graham’s family and praised his legacy after awakening Sunday to the unexpected news. “I’m shocked and saddened by the passing of my friend and colleague Senator Lindsey Graham,” said Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. “Lindsey was a lifelong public servant, a tireless champion for South Carolina, and an outspoken advocate for America’s role in protecting freedom throughout the world.”
Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, a Wyoming Republican, said Graham represented South Carolina and America “with pride and determination. He guided the Senate through our toughest battles while Chairman of both the Judiciary Committee and the Budget Committee. He carried the day with his mission clarity and steadfast leadership.”
“That was Lindsey Graham. He fought like hell for the things he believed in, and he was just as willing to go to bat for you when it counted,” said Vance. “Lindsey had the best sense of humor in the Senate. He loved the game of politics. He was constantly asking which races were up and down, and how he could help. As he liked to say, ‘I don’t care if you’re an isolationist or a religious fanatic, so long as you have an R next to your name, I want you to win.’”
Mourning and next steps in South Carolina
Gov. Henry McMaster will determine who fills the rest of Lindsey Graham’s term in the U.S. Senate, which expires in January.
State law gives the governor authority to make an appointment. How quickly that might happen remained unclear Sunday afternoon.
State law also calls for a special primary, set for Aug. 11, to select the next Republican nominee. Last month, Graham trounced his five GOP competitors to win the primary with 57% of the vote, again avoiding a runoff.
The GOP field to replace him on the November ballot could be much bigger, almost certainly needing a runoff, which would be Aug. 25.
U.S. Sen. Tim Scott pointed to Graham’s humble beginnings in honoring his friend. Graham, who often spoke of growing up in a single room attached to his parents’ bar in Pickens County, adopted his then-13-year-old sister when both of his parents died within 15 months while he was at the University of South Carolina. His father died of a heart attack.
“That pain and misery led him into public service,” Scott said on NBC’s “Meet the Press. “He started in public service because he wanted to make sure that no one felt invisible, that the people who needed the help, that the government was there to help those who could not help themselves.”
Scott was the last U.S. senator from South Carolina appointed to the role.
In December 2012, then-Gov. Nikki Haley appointed then-U.S. Rep. Scott to replace Jim DeMint following his resignation to lead the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. Scott easily won his first election to the U.S. Senate in November 2014 to the remainder of DeMint’s term, followed by easy re-elections to full terms in 2016 and 2022.
It’s been 61 years since a U.S. senator from South Carolina died in office. In that case, the governor essentially appointed himself.
In 1965, then-Gov. Donald Russell resigned following the death of U.S. Sen. Olin Johnston, enabling the lieutenant governor to ascend and appoint Russell to the Senate.
But voters refused to elect Russell to the job after that. Former Gov. Fritz Hollings defeated Russell in the 1966 special election to fill the rest of Johnston’s term and ultimately remained in the U.S. Senate until his retirement in January 2005.
Statements of mourning Graham’s death poured in from across South Carolina. Here are a few:
• State party Chairman Drew McKissick: “It is with heavy hearts that we learned about the passing of our senior Senator Lindsey Graham. From the lives of the unborn to our nation’s national security, there was no stronger supporter than Senator Graham. His voice will be missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with his sister, Darlene and the rest of his family.”
• South Carolina Senate GOP Caucus: “A devoted servant of South Carolina, a member of the United States Air Force, and a titan in Washington, Senator Lindsey Graham demonstrated an unparalleled commitment to our state and nation. We join the rest of South Carolina — and America — in mourning the tragic loss of our friend and longtime Senator, Lindsey Graham, and we pray for his family.”
• U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, the state’s lone Democrat in Congress: “Our political relationship was sometimes partisan and passionate, but always pleasant and productive on behalf of the people of South Carolina. … For more than three decades, we served the people of the Palmetto state together in Congress. Throughout that time, we maintained a relationship grounded in mutual respect, even when our political differences were significant. His commitment to public service and the people he represented will remain an enduring part of his legacy.”
Special election information
SC Daily Gazette is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. SC Daily Gazette maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Seanna Adcox for questions: info@scdailygazette.com.
