Senator Lindsey Graham Dies at 71

Senator Lindsey Graham, a powerful Republican from South Carolina, died suddenly at age 71 from an aortic dissection over the weekend, triggering an outpouring of tributes and a political scramble.

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster appointed Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, to fill his seat until January 2027, a move endorsed by President Donald Trump.

Graham’s death removes one of Washington’s most influential foreign policy hawks and creates a rare political scenario that complicates the GOP’s already fragile Senate majority.

Tributes poured in from both sides of the aisle, with Senate Majority Leader John Thune choking up on the floor as he memorialized his friend.