WASHINGTON, July 12– U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, a close political ally of President Donald Trump, died Saturday night “from a brief and sudden illness” at the age of 71, his office said in a statement early Sunday.
There was no indication the senator from South Carolina was feeling unwell before his death, NBC News cited a top staffer to Graham as saying early Sunday. He had been scheduled to appear on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday.
Graham, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, was widely recognized as one of the most prominent and influential voices within the Republican Party on defense and foreign policy. He repeatedly pushed for aggressive U.S. military actions abroad, maintaining a hawkish stance on Iran and vigorously defending the war.
Graham was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002 and was re-elected in 2008, 2014 and 2020. He formally ran against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in 2015, but once Trump won the presidency in 2016, he underwent a massive political pivot and started backing the president.
In the following years, Graham became one of Trump’s most loyal defenders and closest confidants. Graham was seeking a fifth six-year Senate term in the November midterm election.
His sudden death leaves an immediate vacuum on the ballot, forcing South Carolina Republicans to quickly find a replacement nominee. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
