Sen. Lindsey Graham Dead at 71, Preliminary Cause of Death Confirmed

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a close ally of President Donald Trump and one of the Senate's most prominent voices on foreign policy, died Saturday night at 71.

Graham's office confirmed his death in a statement released early Sunday morning. "On the evening of Saturday, July 11, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham passed away from a brief and sudden illness," the statement read. "Senator Graham's family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period."

Graham's spokesperson, Taylor Reidy, said Sunday afternoon that preliminary findings from the Medical Examiner of the District of Columbia listed the cause of death as aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, commonly known as hardening of the arteries. An aortic dissection is a tear in the inner layer of the aorta, the body's main artery; when blood escapes through the tear, the condition is frequently fatal.

The medical examiner's office noted that toxicological and microscopic testing was still underway and that the death certificate would remain pending until that testing is complete. Scanner audio obtained by NBC News indicated emergency responders were dispatched to Graham's Capitol Hill home Saturday night for a report of cardiac arrest, and administered CPR at the scene.

A Trip to Kyiv Days Before His Death

Graham had traveled to Kyiv, Ukraine, just days before his death, meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday. He had been scheduled to appear on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday morning. Trump said Sunday that he had spoken with Graham by phone Saturday evening after his return from Ukraine. "Other than being tired he was fine," Trump said, adding that the call "could've been his last."

Zelenskyy said in a statement that Graham was "a true defender of freedom and of the values that make our world safer," noting Graham had visited Ukraine 10 times during the war and had recently been working on initiatives aimed at strengthening sanctions against Russia.

Roughly three weeks earlier, Graham had appeared on CBS's Face the Nation, discussing diplomatic efforts related to Iran. "Let's try a diplomatic solution. I think it's going to fail," he said at the time. "If this diplomatic effort fails, President Trump is going to take the Strait of Hormuz. We're going to run it."

A Political Career Spanning Three Decades

Graham was born in Central, South Carolina, on July 9, 1955. He studied psychology and law at the University of South Carolina before serving as a military attorney in the U.S. Air Force, later retiring from the Air Force Reserve with the rank of colonel. He served one term in the South Carolina House of Representatives before winning election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994, representing South Carolina's Third District.

In 2002, Graham won the Senate seat once held by Strom Thurmond, going on to win reelection in 2008, 2014 and 2020 by comfortable margins. In the Senate, he became an influential member of committees overseeing the judiciary, defense and government spending, and chaired the Senate Budget Committee. As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, he played a key role in confirming Trump's first-term Supreme Court nominees, Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.

From Trump Skeptic to Close Ally

Graham was initially a critic of Trump and the Tea Party movement during the 2016 Republican presidential primary, but he evolved into one of Trump's closest allies and most consistent defenders in the years that followed.

Graham was also known as one of the Republican Party's most vocal supporters of Israel throughout his career, a position that became especially prominent following Hamas' October 2023 attack on Israel. He made multiple visits to Israel, defended the country's military campaign in Gaza, and pushed to maintain U.S. military assistance to Israel without added conditions. He also supported expanding the Abraham Accords and advocated for normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia as part of a broader regional security strategy aimed at containing Iran.

Timing Amid Another Senate Health Concern

Graham's death comes as fellow Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell remains hospitalized following a cardiac emergency last month. A spokesperson for McConnell has said he continues to recover, though his team has not released additional details about his condition.

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