James' World 2

• Senator Lindsey Graham died following a “brief and sudden illness,” his office says.
• Graham, a prominent Republican from South Carolina, was 71.
• A spokeswoman for Graham says he had just returned from a trip to Ukraine. 
• Graham was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002.

Senator Lindsey Graham has passed away, his office said Sunday.

“On the evening of Saturday, July 11, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham passed away from a brief and sudden illness,” Graham’s office said in a statement on X.

Graham, a prominent Republican from South Carolina, was 71.

“Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period,” his office added.

A spokeswoman for Graham told MS NOW that he had just returned from a trip to Ukraine. She had no additional information on the circumstances of his passing and said more information would become available in the coming days.

His Senate website described Graham as “a conservative problem-solver and one of the strongest proponents of a robust national defense.”

President Donald Trump said Graham was “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!!!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

Graham became a key ally of Trump, despite having warned against his nomination as the Republican candidate ahead of the 2016 election.

“If we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed…….and we will deserve it,” Graham wrote on social media on May 3, 2016.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was “deeply saddened” by the news of Graham’s death.

“He visited Ukraine ten times during the years of Russia’s full-scale invasion and was here with our people when it was most needed,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he and his wife Sara were grieving “with the American people over the loss of our dear friend, Senator Lindsey Graham.”

“Lindsey understood that the security of Israel and America are inseparable. He devoted his life to defending America, strengthening our alliance and standing up for the free world,” Netanyahu said in a post on X.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said in a statement: “My heart is heavy this morning to learn of the passing of my friend and colleague, Senator Lindsey Graham.”

“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.”

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster called Graham “the fiercest of fighters for South Carolina and America—and a loyal and steadfast friend.”

Graham was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002 and was re-elected in 2008, 2014, and 2020. He had been running for re-election for a fifth six-year term. Under South Carolina law, McMaster has until Jan. 3, 2027, to fill Graham’s seat.

Graham served as Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee and as a member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. 

Prior to serving in the Senate, Graham was elected to the House of Representatives in 1994.

Before being elected to Congress, Graham served in the U.S. Air Force, logging six-and-a-half years of active-duty service as an Air Force lawyer. 

During the first Gulf War in the early 1990s, Graham was called to active duty and served as a Staff Judge Advocate, where he prepared service members for deployment to the Gulf region.

Graham retired from the Air Force Reserves in June 2015, having served his country in uniform for 33 years. He retired at the rank of Colonel.

A native South Carolinian, Graham grew up in a blue-collar family in the small town of Central, where his parents ran a restaurant and pool hall, according to his website. The first member of his family to go to college, Graham earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of South Carolina.