U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, one of the most recognizable figures in American politics and a fervent ally of President Donald Trump, died on Saturday evening, July 11, his office announced early Sunday. He was 71.
“On the evening of Saturday, July 11, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham passed away from a brief and sudden illness,” his office said in a statement. “Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period.”
His office did not disclose further details about the illness.
CBS News reported that a recording of an emergency call on Saturday evening to a residence belonging to the senator mentioned a dispatch for cardiac arrest, though that detail has not been officially confirmed. The absence of any known health concerns made the news especially startling in Washington: Graham had been in Kyiv as recently as Friday and had returned to Washington, where he was scheduled to appear on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday morning, according to The Guardian.
A long career in the Senate
First elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002, Graham was running for a fifth term in this fall’s midterm elections, having won his Republican primary on June 9, 2026. Over more than two decades in the Senate, he became one of the chamber’s most influential members. He served as chairman of the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee and the Budget Committee, but was perhaps best known as a foreign policy hawk.
A former military lawyer and retired Air Force Reserve colonel, Graham was known throughout his career for his hawkish foreign policy positions, including a long-standing hard line on Iran. His death comes at a moment of heightened international tension in which he had been among the most prominent voices in Congress.
Graham’s relationship with President Trump was among the most closely watched in Washington, precisely because of how dramatically it evolved. Graham briefly ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2015 and was, at the time, a sharp critic of Trump. During that period, the two men traded pointed public insults.
Yet Graham transformed from a Trump skeptic into one of the president’s strongest allies, becoming a frequent presence at the president’s side. He spoke with Trump often and became a regular partner on the golf course. By the time of his death, he ranked among the president’s most outspoken and dependable defenders on Capitol Hill.
President Trump paid tribute to Graham in a post on his Truth Social platform early Sunday. “Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known, is dead! He was always working and was a true American Patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!!” the president wrote.
Tributes from home and abroad
Tributes arrived quickly from across the political spectrum and around the world. Israel’s President Isaac Herzog said he was “shocked and heartbroken to learn of the sudden passing of the great American patriot,” reflecting Graham’s long record as a staunch supporter of Israel.
Graham’s death also marks a generational passing in the Senate. He was the last surviving member of the group of three friends and foreign-policy allies — Graham, the late Senator John McCain, and the late Senator Joe Lieberman — who were known in Washington as the “Three Amigos,” and who each mounted unsuccessful bids for the presidency. McCain died in 2018 and Lieberman in 2024.
Graham’s death creates a vacancy in the U.S. Senate and removes one of the Republican Party’s most prominent voices at a consequential moment, with control of the chamber and this fall’s midterm elections already in sharp focus. Under South Carolina law, the process for filling the seat and the timing of any special election will now become the subject of attention in the days ahead.
As of this writing, further details regarding the cause of death and funeral arrangements had not been released. This is a developing story.
Sources: CNN, Bloomberg, CBS News, NPR/The Associated Press, and The Washington Post (July 12, 2026)
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