US well-known hardliner lawmaker Lindsey Graham dies suddenly; he previously supported a war against Iran and sanctions against Russia

China Central Television News reports that, in a post on a social platform in the early hours of July 12 Eastern Time, the chief communications officer in U.S. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham’s office confirmed that Graham died the night of July 11 local time due to a sudden serious illness, at the age of 71.

Graham’s office statement was brief, only citing the cause of death as a “brief and sudden illness,” and provided no further details. NBC News reported that emergency responders responded to a “cardiac arrest” call at his Capitol Hill residence that night. Police cars and fire trucks were on scene at the same time, and medical personnel carried a person lying on a stretcher out and onto an ambulance. One senior aide to Graham said, “There were no signs that he was feeling unwell before his death.”

Two days before Graham’s death, he had just returned to Washington from Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, and was scheduled to attend NBC News’ program “Meet the Press” on Sunday.

Sudden death leaves political vacancy behind

Graham was first elected as a U.S. senator from South Carolina in 2003, and he was re-elected consecutively thereafter, serving for more than two decades. At the time of his death, he was seeking his fifth six-year senatorial term and won the party’s primary on June 9 this year.

Under South Carolina law, Governor Henry McMaster will appoint someone to fill his seat vacancy for a term until January 3 of next year. The Republicans also need to re-determine the nominee for the senator seat.

At the time of Graham’s death, he was the chair of the Senate Budget Committee. Previously, he served as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee from 2019 to 2021. Bloomberg reported that during Trump’s second term, he helped push through a major tax cut and spending bill.

Hawkish labels: tough stances on Russia and Iran

Graham is known in U.S. foreign policy circles for being tough.

On the Ukraine issue, since the Russia-Ukraine conflict began in 2022, he has visited Kyiv 10 times in total. Right before his death, one day earlier, he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss Ukraine’s air defense needs and a new package of sanctions against Russia. Bloomberg reported that Graham was one of the members of a cross-party group of senators that met last week, claiming it had reached an agreement with the Trump administration to move forward with a new round of Russia sanctions.

Zelensky wrote on social media: “I thank Lindsey for recognizing our fighters. The stronger Ukraine is on the battlefield, the more likely diplomatic success will be.” Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk also called him “a steadfast friend of Ukraine who deeply understands that our struggle is for a free, democratic, and just world order.”

On Iran, Graham has long been one of the toughest voices in the Senate on Iran, consistently advocating for tough military action against Iran.

From critics to allies: the evolution of his relationship with Trump

Graham and Trump’s relationship underwent a significant shift.

During the 2016 Republican primary, Graham had been one of Trump’s harshest critics. He publicly called Trump a “racism-inciting xenophobic religious bigot” and a “disgrace,” and wrote on social media: “If we nominate Trump, we will be completely defeated… and we’ll deserve it.” He himself also briefly ran for president in 2015 and withdrew later that same year.

However, after entering Trump’s first term, their relationship gradually turned into a close alliance. Graham once described himself as the president’s “north star” in an interview with NBC News, and said: “We have differences, but he knows my position. He sees that I work harder to help him than anyone in the Senate.”

After Graham’s death, Trump posted a tribute, calling him “one of the greatest people and senators I’ve ever known,” and calling him “a true American patriot.”

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