According to a statement from his office, Senator Lindsey Graham died Saturday evening after what was described as a brief and unexpected illness.
“On the evening of Saturday, July 11, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham passed away from a brief and sudden illness,” his office said in a statement. “Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period.”
Additional details about Graham’s death were not immediately released. However, audio from an emergency call made Saturday evening to a residence associated with the senator referenced a dispatch for cardiac arrest.
The prominent senator had been on a visit to Ukraine on Friday, where he met with President Zelensky. Israel’s President Isaac Herzog said in a social media post he was “shocked and heartbroken to learn of the sudden passing of the great American patriot, a great friend of Israel, and my dear friend.”
Graham was born July 9, 1955, in Central, South Carolina. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of South Carolina before continuing there for law school. After serving in the military and later working in private legal practice, he won a seat in the South Carolina House of Representatives. Two years after that, he was elected to Congress, representing South Carolina’s Third District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
In 2002, Graham sought the U.S. Senate seat previously held by Strom Thurmond and went on to secure decisive reelection victories in 2008 and 2014. Even in 2014, when outside conservative organizations signaled they might back a primary challenge over his involvement in the 2013 immigration debate, no major Republican opponent ultimately emerged.
He also pursued the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, but ended his campaign before primary voting began.
Throughout his career, Graham was known as a forceful voice on foreign policy, particularly on issues involving Iran. Earlier this month, he sharply criticized the early framework of a memorandum of understanding that President Trump signed with the country.
Although Graham was once a critic of both Mr. Trump and the rising conservative Tea Party movement, he later became one of the president’s most prominent allies and defenders.
“Let’s try a diplomatic solution. I think it’s going to fail. What happens next?” he said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” just three weeks ago, a couple days after spending four and a half hours with the president. “To all the people listening, if this diplomatic effort fails, President Trump is going to take the Strait of Hormuz. We’re going to run it.”
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
Joe Walsh and
Kaia Hubbard
contributed to this report.
