Senator Lindsey Graham dies age 71

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - Senator Lindsay Graham, Republican senator of South Carolina, has passed away following a “brief and short illness,” just days after he turned 71.

President Donald Trump says the South Carolina Senator was a dear friend and ordered all American flags lowered to half-staff until Saturday.

Graham was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1994 and then to the Senate in 2002, filing the seat of the longest-serving Senator, Strom Thurmond. Graham had just won the primary for a fifth term in the Senate.

EN ESPAÑOL | Muere el senador republicano por Carolina del Sur Lindsey Graham

Born in Central, S.C. to parents who owned a restaurant and pool hall, Lindsay Graham’s early life was first forged by tragedy.

When he was in college, his parents both died within 15 months of each other, leaving him the sole provider of his younger sister.

He completed a law degree from the University of South Carolina and then joined the US Air Force as a lawyer. His service to the nation became a through-line of his life.

Lindsay Graham was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1994. Four terms later, he was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002, quickly becoming a key player.

In 2013, he joined what was called the Gang of 8, working with Democrats and Republicans to craft immigration reform legislation.

The bill easily passed the Senate, but was ignored by the House and became the last major effort to reform the immigration process. Later, immigration later becoming a key issue during the Trump administrations

During the first Trump administration, Graham chaired the Senate Judiciary committee, shepherding dozens of conservative judges to the bench, capped by the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court

More recently, he’d chaired the powerful Senate Budget committee, helping to push through tax and spending bills with narrow majorities

Fellow South Carolina Senator Tim Scott summed up Graham’s life:

“South Carolina lost a statesman and I’ve lost a friend.”

Graham’s complex friendship with Donald Trump made headlines over the years.

In 2015, Lindsay Graham ran for the White House, against Donald Trump and did not mince words, saying Trump was, quote, a “race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot.”

Graham ended his campaign before a single vote was cast. It was his best friend Senator John McCain of Arizona who counseled that Graham needed to help move beyond election rhetoric and that he had an obligation to help the president.

The insurrection at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, appeared to change Graham’s mind. However, the friendship and golf buddy relationship with Donald Trump was quickly repaired, with Graham taking the position that the impeachment efforts were fueled by passion and hatred.

His lawyerly attitude fueled Graham’s 33 year career in the U.S Air Force, serving as a Judge Advocate General and being deployed with the military to both Afghanistan and Iraq. His international experience informed his time on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and his staunch support for Israel and Ukraine.

Lindsay Graham never married. He’s survived by the sister he helped to raise, Darline Graham Nordone

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) sent his condolences in a statement, writing, “He believed in the might of America to achieve good in the world and dedicated his life to advancing that cause. As South Carolina’s senior senator, Lindsey fought passionately for the Palmetto State. He was a trusted adviser and colleague to me and many others, and numerous presidents and heads of state have relied on his counsel.”

Before Senator Graham’s death, the Republican majority in the US Senate was 53 to 47. However, with Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky still hospitalized, that margin is seen by many as very narrow. Under South Carolina Law, Governor Henry McMaster, a fellow Republican, can immediately appoint a replacement to fulfill the rest of Graham’s term, which expires in January.

The senate is scheduled to return to work Monday.

Senator Lindsay Graham had won the primary for a sixth term in the U.S. Senate. Now, voters will have to pick a new Republican candidate. Possible candidates have from July 21 to July 28 to file for a special primary. That primary would be held August 11 and if a runoff is necessary, that would happen August 25.

Former president Joe Biden, a long-time senator from Delaware, wrote this, “Lindsey and I served together in Congress for over a decade, and worked closely on many issues throughout the years. We traveled the world together as members of the Senate Foreign Relations committee. We disagreed often, and sometimes loudly. Lindsey and I did agree on the profound importance of public service. Like me, he loved the Senate as an institution, even with all its flaws and complexities.”