Senator Lindsey Graham, the influential South Carolina Republican and close ally of President Donald Trump, died Saturday evening following a brief and sudden illness, according to a statement from his office. He was 71.
Graham’s death leaves a major vacancy in the Senate and removes one of the Republican Party’s most prominent voices on foreign policy.
First elected to the Senate in 2002 after serving in the House of Representatives, Graham was a longtime advocate of a hard-line approach toward Iran, backing efforts to isolate the country and curb its missile and nuclear programs dating back to his years in Congress in the 1990s.
Over more than two decades in the Senate, he became a leading national figure, known for his close relationship with the late Senator John McCain and, later, his alliance with Trump on national security and foreign affairs.
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Jul 12, 2026 at 02:51 AM EDT
Read the statement from Graham’s office in full
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