Sen. Lindsey Graham dies at 71 after brief sudden illness

Lindsey Graham died at 71 on July 11 after a brief and sudden illness, shortly after returning from Ukraine, where he had been pressing security and sanctions issues tied to Russia.

The vacancy changes the Senate’s arithmetic immediately. The chamber has 100 members, so Graham’s death leaves it at 99 until South Carolina fills the seat, and state law allows Gov. Henry McMaster to appoint a replacement through Jan. 3, 2027, the end of Graham’s current term. Because Graham was already up for reelection in 2026, the loss also forces South Carolina Republicans to replace him on the November ballot.

Graham’s absence reaches beyond one vote count. He had chaired the Budget Committee since the Republican conference elected him in December 2024, and that post put him at the center of budget reconciliation fights over border security and military spending. He also served on Appropriations, Judiciary and Environment and Public Works.

He first won the Senate in 2002 and had served there since 2003, after earlier stints in the U.S. House from 1995 to 2003 and the South Carolina House from 1993 to 1995. A retired Air Force colonel, Graham became the first person in South Carolina history to draw more than one million votes in a general election in 2008.