The longtime Republican senator and prominent foreign policy advocate died after a brief and sudden illness, his office said.
WASHINGTON, DC — Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a powerful voice on foreign policy and one of President Donald Trump’s closest congressional allies, died Saturday evening after a brief and sudden illness, his office announced. He was 71.
Graham’s office announced his death in a statement released early Sunday, July 12. The statement did not provide further details about the illness or an official cause of death. His family asked for privacy during what the office called an extremely difficult period.
Graham had served in Congress for more than three decades and represented South Carolina in the Senate since January 2003. He was chairman of the Senate Budget Committee and had previously led the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he played a major role in confirming conservative federal judges.
His death leaves a vacancy in a closely divided Senate and removes one of Trump’s most dependable Republican supporters. Under South Carolina law, Republican Gov. Henry McMaster can appoint a temporary senator while the state prepares an expedited primary for the November election. The temporary appointee and the party’s eventual nominee do not have to be the same person.
Trump said Graham was like a member of his family and described his death as a difficult loss. The president said Graham had called him Saturday night after returning from Ukraine and sounded tired but otherwise normal. Trump ordered U.S. flags lowered to half-staff in Graham’s honor.
Graham had met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Friday, one day before his death. The senator had repeatedly visited Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022 and was a leading congressional supporter of military assistance for Kyiv and stronger sanctions against Moscow.
Foreign policy shaped much of Graham’s career. He favored an assertive U.S. role overseas and strongly supported Israel and Ukraine. His views sometimes put him at odds with Republicans who wanted the United States to reduce its involvement in foreign conflicts. Graham also advocated a hard line toward Iran and advised Trump on national security issues.
Graham’s relationship with Trump changed sharply over the past decade. He ran against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 and repeatedly criticized him during that campaign. After Trump entered the White House, Graham became a frequent adviser, golf partner and public defender of the president.
The senator supported Trump during both of his first-term impeachment trials. That role contrasted with Graham’s earlier service as one of the House managers who presented the impeachment case against Democratic President Bill Clinton in the late 1990s. Both presidents were acquitted by the Senate.
As Judiciary Committee chairman, Graham oversaw major confirmation battles during Trump’s first term, including the 2020 confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. He also delivered an impassioned defense of Brett Kavanaugh during the justice’s contentious 2018 confirmation hearing.
Graham sometimes worked with Democrats despite his strong Republican ties. He participated in bipartisan immigration negotiations and backed a 2013 Senate bill that combined increased border enforcement with a path to citizenship for some immigrants living in the country without legal status. The measure passed the Senate but did not receive a vote in the House.
Before entering the Senate, Graham served four terms in the U.S. House. He was also an Air Force lawyer and continued serving in the military reserve while holding elected office, eventually retiring as a colonel. He often spoke about growing up in Central, South Carolina, where his parents operated a restaurant, bar and pool hall.
Graham helped care for his younger sister after their parents died while they were young. He never married and had no children. Colleagues from both parties remembered him Sunday for his humor, personal relationships and ability to remain involved in major policy debates even during periods of intense partisan conflict.
Graham had won South Carolina’s Republican Senate primary in June and was seeking a fifth term in the November election. State officials had not announced his temporary replacement or the full schedule for choosing a new nominee as of Sunday.
Author note: Last updated July 12, 2026.