Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, Dies at 71

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, Dies at 71

Mr. Graham died of a “brief and sudden” illness on Saturday evening, his office said. He served in the Senate for more than two decades.


Senator Lindsey Graham speaking in Spartanburg, S.C., on June 30. Will Crooks for The New York Times

By Robert Jimison
July 12, 2026
Updated 5:21 a.m. ET

Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican and stalwart Trump ally who was elected to the Senate four times, has died, his office announced early Sunday. He was 71. ... He died of a “brief and sudden” illness on Saturday evening, his office said in a statement. The office did not immediately respond to an inquiry on the cause of death..

{snip}

Mr. Graham, who sought the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, built a reputation in Washington and abroad as one of the Senate’s most forceful advocates for an interventionist U.S. foreign policy. Throughout his career, he consistently argued for the use of American military power overseas, including most recently supporting aggressive military action against Iran. He also maintained close ties with Israel, making numerous visits there during his time in Congress.

Over his Senate career, Mr. Graham led two influential committees, Judiciary and Budget. ... As head of the Judiciary Committee, he oversaw the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court following the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. He also played a critical role during the 2016 fight over President Barack Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland to the court, aiding in Republicans’ success in blocking the pick. ... More broadly, Mr. Graham was instrumental in advancing President Trump’s effort to reshape the federal judiciary. During his tenure at the helm of the committee, the Senate confirmed more than 200 federal judges, including Ms. Barrett, cementing one of the defining conservative judicial legacies of the Trump era.

{snip}

After earning undergraduate and law degrees from the University of South Carolina, Mr. Graham served as a lawyer in the U.S. Air Force before beginning his career in politics. After serving as a judge during the Gulf War, Mr. Graham was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1992. He won a U.S. House seat in 1994 and served terms, then spent more than two decades in the Senate following his election in 2002. ... Mr. Graham’s military career continued throughout much of his time in Congress; he remained in the Air Force Reserve and was briefly deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan as a senator.

Yan Zhuang and Amelia Nierenberg contributed reporting.

Robert Jimison covers Congress for The Times, with a focus on defense issues and foreign policy.

[Whip-poor-will]

1. GOOD

One less republican war monger.

What a fine example of Moral bankruptcy