Lindsey Graham, US Republican senator and Trump ally, dies at 71
Graham's office said that he died on Saturday evening "from a brief and sudden illness".
Senator Lindsey Graham on Mar 16, 2026, in Columbia, South Carolina. (File photo: AP/Meg Kinnard)
United States Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican who went from a vocal critic of Donald Trump to one of his most loyal allies on Capitol Hill after Trump became president, has died at age 71.
The South Carolina lawmaker died after a "brief and sudden illness", his office posted on X early on Sunday (Jul 12). US media said emergency personnel had responded to a call for cardiac arrest at his Capitol Hill home on Saturday night.
The contest to succeed Graham will not impact the broader fight for control of the Senate in November between Republicans and Democrats, as South Carolina is a reliably Republican state.
However, his death robs Trump of a dependable Senate vote as the president seeks to push his agenda in the closely divided Senate.
"He's a tough one to lose," Trump told NBC's "Meet the Press" programme. "He was great. He was unique in every way."
Another senior Republican in the upper chamber - Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky - remains hospitalised for undisclosed health problems.
Trump, speaking on CNN's "State of the Union" programme, said Graham, who had just returned from a trip to Ukraine, called him on Saturday night. "Other than being tired, he was fine," Trump said.
The president said he received news of Graham's death early on Sunday morning.
Under South Carolina law, the state's Republican governor, Henry McMaster, can immediately appoint a temporary replacement to fill Graham's seat.
South Carolina Republicans must then also hold an expedited primary election to pick a nominee for the November midterm election. That nominee does not have to be the same person McMaster picks as a temporary replacement.
Graham, a defence hawk, was a prominent supporter of Israel and Ukraine and an opponent of Iran.
He had been scheduled to appear on "Meet the Press" on Sunday morning, the network said.
Shortly after Graham's death was announced, Trump called him "one of the greatest people and senators I have known" and a hard-working patriot.
"Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period," his office said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was "deeply saddened", calling Graham "a true defender of freedom and the values that make our world safer".
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement: "Israel has lost one of its greatest friends. America has lost a great patriot. I have lost a beloved friend."
Netanyahu expects to attend Graham's funeral, a senior Israeli official said.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz posted on X that he was deeply saddened by the death of Graham, "who stood with Israel at its most difficult moments".
ONCE BITTER TRUMP CRITIC
During the 2016 presidential campaign, in which Graham was among many Republicans who lost the nomination to Trump, he posted on social media: "If we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed ... and we will deserve it."
Graham told CNN in 2015 that Trump was "a race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot", adding, "He doesn’t represent my party. He doesn’t represent the values that the men and women who wear the uniform are fighting for."
Later, after becoming a loyal supporter and frequent golf partner, Graham still publicly disagreed with Trump's decision upon returning to office last year to pardon about 1,500 of the president's supporters who attacked the US Capitol on Jan 6, 2021, saying it could lead to more violence.
"They did not always agree, but they always agreed to disagree without being disagreeable ... They figured out how to have a friendship," Graham's Republican colleague from South Carolina, Senator Tim Scott, told "Meet the Press".
STAUNCH ADVOCATE FOR UKRAINE
On Friday, Graham met Zelenskyy in Kyiv, and the Ukrainian leader said the two discussed Ukraine's air defence needs and a Russia sanctions bill.
Graham said China could play a decisive role in pressuring Russia towards peace talks, helping end its war in Ukraine.
"The road to ending this war, the road to peace, passes through Beijing more than it does (through) Washington, Kyiv, or Moscow," Graham told reporters at Kyiv's Mykhailivska Square.
"China has an oversized influence. I'd like them to use their influence for the good of the world."
"I don't believe (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is there yet, but it wouldn't take much to get him there."
Zelenskyy noted that Graham had visited Ukraine 10 times since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.
In a Facebook post, he wrote: "We will always be especially grateful for the recognition of our people and words of admiration for the courage of Ukraine’s defenders."
Graham recently served as chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. Graham also served as a member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senate Judiciary Committee and Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.
A former Air Force lawyer and member of the South Carolina Air National Guard, Graham was elected to the Senate in 2002. Before that, he was elected to the House of Representatives in 1994 for South Carolina's 3rd congressional district, according to his website.
He was not married and lived in Seneca, South Carolina.
