Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) died yesterday of an aortic dissection at the age of 71.
Graham was a longstanding and influential figure in the Republican Party and in broader American politics. He first rose to national prominence as a House “impeachment manager,” or prosecutor, during President Bill Clinton’s (D) 1999 impeachment trial, and ultimately served more than thirty years in Congress.
After graduating from high school in Central, South Carolina, Graham became the first member of his family to attend college. His original plans were disrupted after his parents died over a period of fifteen months, leaving his thirteen-year-old sister orphaned. Graham transferred to the University of South Carolina in Columbia and became his sister’s legal guardian. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in psychology, then a law degree, and was commissioned as an officer in the United States Air Force in 1982. He first served as a defense attorney in the Judge Advocate General (JAG) corps, and later became a prosecutor.
Graham left active-duty service in 1989, but continued to serve in the South Carolina Air National Guard and then the U.S. Air Force Reserve. He was an assistant county attorney for Oconee County, South Carolina, and city attorney for Central, South Carolina. During the First Gulf War he was briefly recalled to active duty and served with the JAG corps at McEntire Air National Guard Station in South Carolina. He was deployed as a reservist to Iraq in 2007 and Afghanistan in 2009 to deal with legal issues concerning enemy detainees; for his service he received the Bronze Star medal. Graham retired from the Air Force Reserve in 2015 at the rank of colonel.
He first won elective office in 1992 to represent the 2nd District in the South Carolina House of Representatives. In 1994 he was elected to the state’s 3rd District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives and went on to serve four terms. He served on the Judiciary Committee and was deeply involved in the Clinton impeachment. When Senator Strom Thurmond (R-SC) announced his retirement, Graham successfully sought election to replace him in the Senate where he served nearly four terms. He was seeking reelection in November for a fifth term .
For much of Graham’s career he has been considered a “moderate conservative.” He was a member of the informal “Three Amigos” with senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Joe Lieberman (D-CT), each of whom were known for their independent-minded approach and emphasis on moderate political compromises. He was also part of the 2005 “Gang of 14” that successfully overcame Democratic Party efforts to block President George W. Bush’s (R) judicial nominations and negated the Republican threat to invoke the “nuclear option” to eliminate the filibuster. Graham supported bipartisan immigration reform and partnered at different times with senators Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and Chuck Shumer (D-NY) in the effort. In other policy areas, including the right to life, the Second Amendment, and healthcare, his views were generally aligned with the mainstream of the Republican Party.
Sometimes he was a more partisan, enigmatic figure. Graham’s participation in the Clinton impeachment rankled Democrats who characterized it as a misuse of power. He was also a “neoconservative” with a reputation as a “war hawk,” which made him unpopular with antiwar Democrats and sometimes with a younger breed of anti-interventionist Republicans. He advocated strong U.S. support for Ukraine and Israel in their respective wars. Graham had earlier defended the National Security Agency’s (NSA) unconstitutional domestic surveillance programs and the questionable practice of treating some U.S. citizens as “enemy combatants” due to their membership in foreign terrorist groups. And while Graham was initially a strong critic of President Donald Trump (R), he became much more supportive over time and was recently a close Congressional ally of the president.
Under South Carolina law, Governor Henry McMaster (R) may make an interim appointment to fill the vacancy. He has since announced that he will appoint Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone. The seat was already up for election this year, so the Republican Party will now choose a new nominee to appear on that ballot. The winner of the November election will take office for a full six-year term beginning in January 2027.
Update, July 14, 2026, 10:09 a.m.: This post has been updated following McMaster’s announcement that he will appoint Darline Graham Nordone to serve the remainder of Graham’s term.