Pivotal US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham dies at 71

Ahram Online , Sunday 12 Jul 2026

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham passed away on Saturday evening after a brief ​and sudden illness, the communications director for ‌his office said in a post on X early on Sunday, Reuters said.

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. answer media questions near damaged Russian vehicles exhibition in central Kyiv, . AP

 

Graham, 71, was a prominent Republican senator from ​South Carolina. Earlier in his career, ​he was a vocal critic of U.S. President ⁠Donald Trump before becoming one of his ​most loyal allies on Capitol Hill.

"Senator Graham’s family ​appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period," his office added.

Graham was ​elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002. Before ​serving in the upper house, he was elected to the ‌U.S. ⁠House of Representatives in 1994 for South Carolina's third congressional district, according to his website.

A defense hawk, his website said he had "consistently pushed ​for outcomes ​in the ⁠War on Terror that protect our long-term national security interests."

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.

Graham was not married and lived in Seneca, South Carolina.

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