Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) died on Saturday at age 71, his office said, after a “brief and sudden illness.”
“On the evening of Saturday, July 11, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham passed away from a brief and sudden illness. Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period,” a statement from Graham’s office said.
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Graham died shortly after returning from his 10th wartime trip to Ukraine. He met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and later visited a drone facility. The drone facility visit was reported on Saturday, and Graham left Kyiv for Washington on Friday or Saturday.
His death came as a massive shock to Washington, as he exhibited no signs of ill health in the videos of his visit to Ukraine. He was running for reelection to his fifth term in the Senate, having begun his tenure in 2003.
Police scanner audio obtained by NBC News said emergency personnel responded to a call for “cardiac arrest” at Graham’s Capitol Hill home on Saturday night. Photographs reviewed by the outlet showed a person being carried in a stretcher from the home to an ambulance on standby.
He was scheduled to appear on NBC News’s Meet the Press just hours after his death was announced at 2 a.m.
Graham was one of the most visible and outspoken hawks in Congress, consistently pursuing hardline stances against Iran, Russia, and China. He had balanced this streak with a notably close relationship with President Donald Trump, serving as Republican hawks’ most direct line to the president.
Trump commemorated the senator in a post on Truth Social shortly after the death was announced.
“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!!!” Trump wrote, adding, “DETAILS AND ARRANGEMENTS TO FOLLOW.”
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Graham’s 2026 opponent, Dr. Annie Andrews, sent her “deepest condolences” to Graham’s family and “devoted staff, and all who are grieving this sudden and tremendous loss.”
“I hope that South Carolinians will join me in setting partisanship aside and offering gratitude to Senator Lindsey Graham for his service to the great state of South Carolina,” she said in a statement.
