WASHINGTON \u2014 Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who was elected to the Senate in 2003 and was a close political ally of President Donald Trump, has died, his office confirmed early Sunday. He was 71. <\/p>\n
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Graham died Saturday night \u201cfrom a brief and sudden illness,\u201d his office said in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cSenator Graham\u2019s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump led tributes Sunday to \u201cone of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known,\u201d describing Graham as a \u201ctrue American Patriot\u201d in a Truth Social post.<\/p>\n
Graham was chairman of the Senate Budget Committee and was seeking a fifth six-year Senate term in November. He was one of the most well-known members of the chamber and a key voice within the party on defense and foreign policy.<\/p>\n
![\"U.S.](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/260711-lindsey-graham-cc-1138p-8ff010.jpg\")
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., questions Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine during a committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on May 12, 2026.Jim Watson \/ AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n
Emergency personnel responded to a call for \u201ccardiac arrest\u201d at Graham\u2019s Capitol Hill home on Saturday night, according to police scanner audio obtained by NBC News.<\/p>\n
Photographs from the scene reviewed by NBC News show paramedics carrying a person on a stretcher from Graham\u2019s home to an awaiting ambulance. Police cars and fire trucks were also on site.<\/p>\n
A top staffer to Graham told NBC News early Sunday that there was no indication the lawmaker was feeling unwell prior to his death. He had been scheduled to appear on NBC News\u2019 \u201cMeet the Press\u201d<\/a> on Sunday.<\/p>\n Senate Majority Leader John Thune paid tribute to a \u201cstrong advocate for the United States and a strong ally to freedom-loving countries across the globe,\u201d while South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said Graham had been \u201cthe fiercest of fighters for South Carolina and America\u2014and a loyal and steadfast friend.\u201d<\/p>\n According to South Carolina law, McMaster will appoint someone to fill Graham\u2019s seat until Jan. 3 of next year. <\/p>\n In June, Graham defeated multiple primary challengers<\/a> to secure the nomination for a fifth term. South Carolina Republicans must now find a replacement nominee, with a special primary election expected by August 11 under the state\u2019s election laws.<\/p>\n Graham was fresh off a trip to Kyiv, Ukraine, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy<\/a> on Friday. \u201cI\u2019m grateful to Lindsey for recognizing our warriors,\u201d Zelenskyy said at the time, adding that they discussed the country\u2019s urgent air defense needs and plans for fresh Russian sanctions.<\/p>\n Ruslan Stefanchuk, Ukraine\u2019s Parliament speaker, led tributes there Sunday to a \u201csteadfast friend of Ukraine, who well understood that our struggle is a fight for freedom, democracy, and a just world order.\u201d<\/p>\n Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, said Graham \u201cunderstood that the security of Israel and America are inseparable,\u201d adding: \u201cIsrael has lost one of its greatest friends. America has lost a great patriot. I have lost a beloved friend.\u201d<\/p>\n His death comes as fellow Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell remains in the hospital <\/a>after paramedics responded to a call at a known residence last month for an individual experiencing cardiac arrest. <\/p>\n A McConnell spokesperson has said the former GOP majority leader is continuing to recover, but his team has not provided further details about his condition.<\/p>\n Growing up in the small town of Central, South Carolina, Graham\u2019s parents ran a restaurant and pool hall. The first of his family to go to college, he earned a law degree from the University of South Carolina before embarking on a career in the military, serving in the U.S. Air Force as a lawyer. Graham served a total of 33 years in the Air Force, Air Force Reserves and South Carolina Air National Guard, fulfilling his reserve duties while holding his seat in Congress. He retired in 2015 at the rank of Colonel.<\/p>\n Graham first arrived in Congress as a member of the House of Representatives, where he served from 1995 to 2003.<\/p>\n He ran for Senate in 2002, winning the South Carolina seat previously held by the retiring Strom Thurmond.<\/p>\n Graham made a name for himself with his work on foreign policy. In recent years, he pressed<\/a> both the Trump and Biden administrations to back Kyiv\u2019s fight against Russia\u2019s invasion, and pressed the Trump administration<\/a> for a hawkish stance on Iran. <\/p>\n He found allies for his foreign policy positions in the upper chamber, befriending former Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., dubbed \u201cthe Three Amigos\u201d for their shared hawkish stances.<\/p>\n Graham was the Republicans\u2019 \u201clast highly effective advocate for the idea that American power must shape events before hostile powers reshape them,\u201d Michael A. Horowitz, a geopolitical and security analyst, told NBC News.<\/p>\n In the Trump era, Horowitz added, \u201chis foreign\u2011policy leverage shifted from shaping broad Senate consensus to shaping Trump\u2019s own instincts, using loyalty and flattery to keep hard\u2011line positions on Iran, Ukraine, and Syria in the room even as the party\u2019s base turned more inward.\u201d<\/p>\n Graham chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee from 2019 to 2021. He most recently served as chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, where he helped shepherd through a major tax cut and spending package <\/a>during Trump\u2019s second term.<\/p>\n Graham was initially a critic of Trump, whom he briefly ran against during the 2016 Republican presidential primary, warning: \u201cIf we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed.\u201d Graham even voted for a third-party candidate for president in 2016, saying he could not support either Trump or Hillary Clinton.<\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1783841795483_nbc_brk_lindsey_graham_welker_260712_S3_1920x1080-l8ntll.jpg\")
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