Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) has died at the age of 71 from a “brief and sudden illness,” his office announced early Sunday morning.
The senator’s official social media accounts confirmed shortly after 2:00 a.m. on Sunday that he passed away on Saturday night, asking for prayers and privacy for his family:
Graham served in the U.S. Senate for over two decades. He won the Republican primary for his seat in early June of this year after securing the endorsement of President Donald Trump.
As one of those “leading the charge” for the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act and a strong voice of support for the U.S.’s military actions against the Iranian regime, Graham was a close ally of Trump’s in 2026.
Graham was never married and had no children, and lost both of his parents when he was young. He is survived by his younger sister, Darline Graham Nordone, who he raised after their parents passed away. Nordone recently appeared in a campaign ad for her brother, telling the story of how he took legal guardianship over her when he was just 22, and she 13.
“He’s always been there for me, no matter what,” Nordone said in the video.
Graham’s longtime communications director, Kevin Bishop, also confirmed the news of the senator’s death on X:
“Unfortunately the news is true. Incredibly sad day,” Bishop wrote. “As his Communications Director for 27 years he was truly one of a kind and will be greatly missed. South Carolina and America have lost a great public servant.”
Emergency responders arrived at Graham’s Washington, D.C. residence on Saturday night for a report of “cardiac arrest,” according to police scanner audio.
The senator had just returned to Capitol Hill from Kyiv, Ukraine, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday.
In the case of a vacant Senate seat, the governor of the state can appoint a person to serve until an election is held.
The news of Graham’s death comes as questions on the condition of Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) swirl as he remains in the hospital after he was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance last month.
Olivia Rondeau is a politics reporter for Breitbart News based in Washington, DC. Find her on X/Twitter and Instagram.
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