SC Daily Gazette<\/p>\n
WASHINGTON \u2014 President Donald Trump announced Monday he would like the South Carolina governor to select the late U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham\u2019s sister to fill the Republican\u2019s seat for the remainder of his term.<\/p>\n
\u201cI recommended, to Governor Henry McMaster, Lindsey Graham\u2019s wonderful sister, Darline, to serve as interim Senator from the Great State of South Carolina,\u201d Trump wrote in a social media post. \u201cThis would be a fabulous tribute to Lindsey, who loved her dearly!\u201d<\/p>\n
McMaster is scheduled to announce his appointment to the Senate at 4 p.m. Eastern during a press conference. The person selected for the role would serve out the remainder of Graham\u2019s term through early January. Graham was\u00a0close to his sister<\/a>, Darline Graham Nordone, after their parents died when she was a teen.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Graham, 71,\u00a0died unexpectedly<\/a> this weekend of an aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, according to preliminary findings from the District of Columbia\u2019s medical examiner that were shared by Graham\u2019s office.\u00a0<\/p>\n Graham\u2019s death has also triggered a special election process in his home state to determine who will advance to the November general election for a full six-year Senate term.\u00a0<\/p>\n Graham\u00a0won the Republican primary<\/a> in June and was set to face Democratic candidate Annie Andrews later this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n The special election to determine which Republican will advance is scheduled for Aug. 11, with a runoff taking place on Aug. 25 if necessary.\u00a0<\/p>\n JENNIFER SHUTT<\/a><\/p>\n Jennifer covers the nation\u2019s capital as a senior reporter for States Newsroom. Her coverage areas include congressional policy, politics and legal challenges with a focus on health care, unemployment, housing and aid to families.<\/p>\n SC Daily Gazette is part of States Newsroom<\/a>, the nation\u2019s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.<\/p>\n South Carolina US Sen. Lindsey Graham dies after \u2018brief and sudden illness\u2019<\/p>\n Gov. Henry McMaster will appoint someone to fulfill Graham\u2019s term. A special GOP primary is set to replace Graham on November\u2019s ballot.<\/p>\n BY JANE NORMAN<\/a> \u2014 JULY 12, 2026 7:56 AM UPDATED 7:00 PM<\/p>\n WASHINGTON\u00a0 \u2014 U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham died on Saturday night of a \u201cbrief and sudden illness,\u201d the South Carolina Republican\u2019s office announced early Sunday.<\/p>\n \u201cSenator Graham\u2019s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period,\u201d\u00a0the statement<\/a> added.<\/p>\n Graham, who turned 71 on Thursday, was a close ally of President Donald Trump and chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. In June he\u00a0defeated<\/a> five Republican challengers in the Senate primary in South Carolina and was to face Democrat Annie Andrews in the general election.\u00a0<\/p>\n A statement shared with the media<\/a> Sunday night by Graham\u2019s 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<\/a>, an aortic dissection occurs when there is a tear in the inner layer of the aorta, the body\u2019s main artery; blood rushes through the tear; and the inner and middle layers of the aorta split.<\/p>\n The statement also said Graham\u2019s death certificate will be pending until all toxicological and microscopic testing is final.<\/p>\n Trump on social media called Graham \u201cone of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe was always working, and was a true American Patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!! DETAILS AND ARRANGEMENTS TO FOLLOW. So sad!\u201d<\/p>\n Graham, who had just returned from a visit to Ukraine, had been scheduled to appear on NBC\u2019s \u201cMeet the Press\u201d on Sunday morning. Instead, Trump came on as a guest and told host Kristen Welker he spoke with Graham on Saturday night, \u201csometime in the sevens,\u201d apparently not long before Graham died. \u201cHe was really a worker but he sounded great, actually,\u201d Trump said, adding that Graham said he was \u201ca little tired\u201d after the trip overseas.<\/p>\n \u201cI got a message about 1 o\u2019clock in the morning from one of the people in his office that he had passed away,\u201d said Trump.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHe was a great politician actually,\u201d said Trump, who had endorsed Graham. \u201cThere was nobody like him. He loved being a politician, and he was going to win his election, he was going to win it big.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Trump said if he \u201chad a problem with a Democrat, he could work it out,\u201d and added that Graham in their final conversation underlined his advocacy for the SAVE America Act, an elections bill stalled in the Senate.<\/p>\n Asked by Welker if he had anyone in mind who should be appointed to the seat, Trump said, \u201cI have somebody that I think would be great, but I don\u2019t want to say it now because \u2026 it\u2019s too soon.\u201d<\/p>\n Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, also on \u201cMeet the Press,\u201d said, \u201cThe entire state has lost a statesman. I have lost a friend.\u201d He said he expected at least one or two U.S. House members from South Carolina would be considered for the appointment to Graham\u2019s seat.<\/p>\n 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. \u201cWe disagreed often, and sometimes loudly,\u201d said Biden. \u201cLindsey 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump said Sunday afternoon has has ordered all U.S. flags be lowered to half staff until July 18.<\/p>\n Return from Ukraine<\/p>\n Graham, the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs, while in Ukraine met with President\u00a0Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who posted photos of the two of them on X on Friday. \u201cThis is already his 10th visit to our country, and we appreciate this support,\u201d Zelenskyy said then.<\/p>\n Early Sunday, Zelenskyy posted on social media: \u201cDeeply 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.\u201d He said they had met twice on Graham\u2019s most recent visit.<\/p>\n Graham\u2019s office did not provide additional details on the circumstances of his death. The Washington Post, citing police scanner audio, reported <\/a>that emergency responders at Graham\u2019s Washington, D.C., home worked to stabilize a man on Saturday night and transported the individual to a hospital.<\/p>\n Special election information<\/p>\n FROM SC DAILY GAZETTE<\/p>\n Under South Carolina law, a special primary election<\/a> must be held to select the next Republican nominee to the seat Sen. Lindsey Graham held for more than two decades.<\/p>\n Filing opens: July 21 and continues for a week<\/p>\n Special primary: Aug. 11<\/p>\n Runoff (if needed): Aug. 25.<\/p>\n NBC News\u00a0reported<\/a> that the response, according to emergency responders\u2019 audio, was to a call for \u201ccardiac arrest\u201d and CPR was in progress. \u201cPhotographs 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,\u201d NBC said.<\/p>\n \u2018My heart is heavy\u2019<\/p>\n Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said in a statement \u201cmy heart is heavy\u201d to learn of Graham\u2019s death.<\/p>\n \u201cLindsey\u2019s long and dedicated service in the Air Force and in Congress carried him to far-flung regions of the world,\u201d Thune said. \u201cHe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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\u00a0official biography,<\/a> retiring at the rank of colonel in 2015.<\/p>\n Under the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the governor of a state must schedule an election to fill an empty Senate seat. South Carolina law says the governor can make an appointment to fill the Senate seat for the remainder of Graham\u2019s term, which expires in January, according to the South Carolina Daily Gazette.<\/p>\n Also under South Carolina law, a\u00a0special primary election<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n The Democratic nominee for Senate, Andrews, expressed her condolences on X. \u201cFrom 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,\u201d she said. \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said on social media he and his family were \u201cdevastated\u201d by Graham\u2019s death. \u201cLindsey Graham is irreplaceable,\u201d he said. \u201cThe fiercest of fighters for South Carolina and America\u2014and a loyal and steadfast friend.\u201d<\/p>\n Narrow margin in Senate<\/p>\n Republicans control the Senate with 53 seats. Graham\u2019s death came as concerns have mounted about the\u00a0continuing absence<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n McConnell released a statement Sunday <\/a>saying he fell before he was hospitalized and he has moved from being a hospital patient to \u201ca rehabilitation center where I\u2019ll keep regaining my strength.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Senators expressed their condolences to Graham\u2019s family and praised his legacy after awakening Sunday to the unexpected news. \u201cI\u2019m shocked and saddened by the passing of my friend and colleague Senator Lindsey Graham,\u201d said Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. \u201cLindsey was a lifelong public servant, a tireless champion for South Carolina, and an outspoken advocate for America\u2019s role in protecting freedom throughout the world.\u201d<\/p>\n Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, a Wyoming Republican, said Graham represented South Carolina and America \u201cwith 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Vice President JD Vance, a former GOP senator from Ohio, said on social media that Graham \u201ccame from humble beginnings and became one of the most powerful lawmakers in the most powerful nation on Earth,\u201d and recalled a shouting match they once got into at a Senate lunch over a Ukraine funding bill. Vance said he then learned Graham was quietly pushing for rail legislation that Vance wanted.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThat 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,\u201d said Vance. \u201cLindsey 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, \u2018I don\u2019t care if you\u2019re an isolationist or a religious fanatic, so long as you have an R next to your name, I want you to win.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Mourning and next steps in South Carolina<\/p>\n FROM SC DAILY GAZETTE<\/p>\n Gov. Henry McMaster will determine who fills the rest of Lindsey Graham\u2019s term in the U.S. Senate, which expires in January.<\/p>\n State law<\/a> gives the governor authority to make an appointment. How quickly that might happen remained unclear Sunday afternoon.<\/p>\n \u201cLindsey Graham is irreplaceable. The fiercest of fighters for South Carolina and America \u2014 and a loyal and steadfast friend,\u201d the governor said in a statement. \u201cWe shall not see his likes again.\u201d<\/p>\n State law also calls for a special primary<\/a>, 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<\/a>, again avoiding a runoff.<\/p>\n The GOP field to replace him on the November ballot could be much bigger, almost certainly needing a runoff, which would be Aug. 25.<\/p>\n U.S. Sen. Tim Scott pointed to Graham\u2019s humble beginnings in honoring his friend. Graham, who often spoke of growing up in a single room attached to his parents\u2019 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThat pain and misery led him into public service,\u201d Scott said on NBC\u2019s \u201cMeet the Press<\/a>. \u201cHe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Scott was the last U.S. senator from South Carolina appointed to the role.<\/p>\n In December 2012<\/a>, then-Gov. Nikki Haley appointed then-U.S. Rep. Scott<\/a> 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\u2019s term, followed by easy re-elections to full terms in 2016 and 2022.<\/p>\n It\u2019s been 61 years since a U.S. senator from South Carolina died in office. In that case, the governor essentially appointed himself.<\/p>\n In 1965, then-Gov. Donald Russell<\/a> resigned following the death of U.S. Sen. Olin Johnston<\/a>, enabling the lieutenant governor to ascend and appoint Russell to the Senate.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s term and ultimately remained in the U.S. Senate until his retirement in January 2005.<\/p>\n Preliminary findings of the Washington, D.C., medical examiner are that Graham died of an \u201caortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease,\u201d the senator\u2019s office released late afternoon Sunday. An aortic dissection is when there\u2019s a tear in the inner lining of the aorta, the body\u2019s main artery, and blood rushes through, causing the artery to split, according to the Mayo Clinic. Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is a hardening of the arteries caused by the buildup of plaque, or deposits that include fat, cholesterol and calcium, according to the American Heart Association.<\/p>\n Statements of mourning Graham\u2019s death poured in from across South Carolina. Here are a few:<\/p>\n \u2022 State party Chairman Drew McKissick: \u201cIt 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\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2022 South Carolina House GOP Caucus: \u201cToday, South Carolina lost one of our own.\u00a0From Central, South Carolina to the United States Senate, Lindsey Graham never lost sight of where he came from. He devoted his life to serving South Carolina and our nation, and his love for this state was evident in everything he did. He was a true statesman.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2022 South Carolina Senate GOP Caucus: \u201cA 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 \u2014 and America \u2014 in mourning the tragic loss of our friend and longtime Senator, Lindsey Graham, and we pray for his family.\u201d<\/p>\n U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, the state\u2019s lone Democrat in Congress: \u201cOur political relationship was sometimes partisan and passionate, but always pleasant and productive on behalf of the people of South Carolina. \u2026 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.\u201d<\/p>\n The woman who Graham was to run against in the November General Election, Dr. Annie Andrews, posted: \u201cMy sincere condolences are with the family of Lindsey Graham, his friends, his devoted staff, and all who are grieving this sudden and tremendous loss.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom 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.<\/p>\n \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Mayor Nathan Senn posted on behalf of the City of Laurens:<\/p>\n \u201cI am saddened by the death of Senator Lindsey Graham, and I extend my heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, staff, and all who mourn his loss. We are grateful for all the ways he helped our state and honor his many years of service to South Carolina and our nation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n