Senator Lindsey Graham, a longtime Republican from South Carolina, died on Saturday night (July 11) after what his office described as a "brief and sudden illness." He was 71. The announcement was made in a statement released early Sunday morning, with his family requesting prayers and privacy during this challenging time, according to a statement posted on social media.

No additional details about the illness or the exact circumstances of his death have been provided by his office. Senator Graham had just celebrated his birthday on July 9 and was reported to be in good health days prior.

Graham was first elected to the Senate in 2002 and had just won the Republican primary last month as he sought a fifth term. Before his tenure in the Senate, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives starting in 1994, becoming the first Republican to represent South Carolina's Third Congressional District since 1877.

During his career, Graham was known for his hawkish foreign policy positions, especially regarding Iran and Russia. He served as chairman of the Senate Budget Committee and was also a member of the Appropriations, Judiciary, and Environment and Public Works committees. Graham briefly ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 and was initially a critic of President Donald Trump. However, he later became one of President Trump's closest allies in the Senate, advising him on foreign policy and regularly appearing alongside the president.

Graham's military service spanned 33 years in the U.S. Air Force, Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserve, retiring as a colonel in 2015. He served as an Air Force lawyer in Germany during the Cold War, was called to active duty in the Gulf War, and completed multiple reserve deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster released a statement expressing his devastation at Graham's passing, calling him "irreplaceable" and "the fiercest of fighters for South Carolina and America."

Senator Graham had recently returned from a trip to Kyiv, Ukraine, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He had also just announced an agreement with the Trump administration to move forward on a package of Russia sanctions.

Looking ahead, Graham's passing will prompt the process of appointing a successor to fill his vacant Senate seat, and discussions are expected in the coming days about the future of South Carolina's representation in the Senate.

Vicki McKenna