Washington, DC - September 8, 2015: Senator Lindsey Graham, candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, speaks at a National Press Club luncheon. (Shutterstock/Al Teich)
By BallotWire
07/12/2026
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican who spent more than two decades as one of the Senate's most influential voices on defense and foreign policy, died Saturday evening at 71.
Graham's office announced the death early Sunday, saying he "passed away from a brief and sudden illness" the night of July 11. His family "appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period," the statement said. The office did not provide further details about the illness.
Graham died a day after returning from Kyiv, where he met on Friday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss air defenses and new sanctions on Russia. "I'm grateful to Lindsey for recognizing our warriors," Zelenskyy said after the meeting, one of Graham's last public engagements. Graham had been scheduled to appear on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday.
President Trump paid tribute to Graham in a Truth Social post, calling him "one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known" and describing him as "a true American patriot" who "was always working."
A native of Central, South Carolina, Graham was the first in his family to earn a college degree, earning both an undergraduate and a law degree from the University of South Carolina. He also served 33 years in the Air Force, Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserve, retiring as a Colonel in 2015.
Graham won a U.S. House seat in 1994, becoming the first Republican to represent his district since 1877. In 2002, he captured the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the retiring Strom Thurmond, then went on to win reelection in 2008, 2014, and 2020. Over his four-term tenure in Congress, he chaired the Judiciary Committee and later the Budget Committee.
Graham had won his renomination primary just last month and was seeking a fifth term, leaving South Carolina Republicans to settle on a replacement nominee before November. The immediate future of the seat falls to the state's Republican governor, Henry McMaster, though the exact process and timing remain unclear.