Sen. Lindsey Graham Dies at 71, Shaking Senate Majority

Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina died Saturday evening at the age of 71, the Washington D.C. medical examiner said, after suffering an aortic dissection — a tear in the main artery carrying blood from the heart — caused by cardiovascular disease.

Graham's death sent shockwaves through Washington, removing one of President Donald Trump's closest Senate allies and thinning the Republican majority in the chamber at a critical juncture. Before his death, Republicans held a 53-47 Senate majority; coupled with the ongoing absence of Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who has been hospitalized since June 14 after a fall, the GOP majority is now effectively reduced by two seats.

Graham had returned just days before his death from a trip to Kyiv, Ukraine, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday. He had also attended a NATO summit that week. Trump said on NBC's "Meet the Press" that he had spoken with Graham on Saturday, describing him as "like a gauge, a temperature gauge of the Senate — he could go in and get something approved."

Graham, elected to the Senate in 2002, had served as chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, a senior member of the Appropriations Committee and a member of the Judiciary Committee. His loss immediately complicated Republican efforts to advance defense spending legislation, confirm attorney general nominee Todd Blanche, renew a foreign surveillance law and manage a potential government shutdown. Graham had also been pivotal in brokering a package of Russia sanctions alongside Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, announced just before Graham's death.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Graham "understood that the security of Israel and America are inseparable" and that the country had lost "one of its greatest friends." Zelenskyy called Graham "a true defender of freedom" and said the two had been "in constant dialogue."

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, a Republican, must now appoint a temporary replacement to serve the remainder of Graham's term, which ends Jan. 3. Under South Carolina law, a one-week filing period for a special primary election begins on the second Tuesday after Graham's death — July 21 — with the special primary scheduled for Aug. 11. A runoff, if needed, would follow Aug. 25, with the general election on Nov. 3.

NewsNation wrote in a post on X that under South Carolina law, Gov. McMaster will appoint a temporary replacement to fill Graham's Senate seat and that, because Graham had already won the GOP nomination, state law requires a separate special election process.

Among those reported to be considering the seat were Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, Rep. Nancy Mace and Rep. Russell Fry. Rep. Joe Wilson said Sunday he had assured Trump his "goal is to remain in the House to keep his two-vote majority." @chadparkerlaw, whose account displays the name "Common Sense with Chad Law," wrote on X that Mace had signaled Senate interest as South Carolina Republicans prepared for a post-Graham political battle.

McConnell broke his silence Sunday, revealing in a statement that a fall on June 14 left him briefly unconscious and that he subsequently developed mild pneumonia. He said he has moved from hospital care to a rehabilitation center and will not be able to return to the Senate floor "quite yet" but is continuing to work with staff on Senate business. McConnell, 84, is retiring when his term ends in January.