Lindsey Graham, a longtime Republican senator from South Carolina, died on Saturday after a “brief and sudden” illness, his office said in a statement. He was 71.
“Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period,” said the statement, which was posted early Sunday on social media.
First elected to the Senate in 2002, Graham had since risen to be one of the chamber’s most prominent figures. He won reelection three times, most recently in 2020. He served as chairman of the Senate Budget Committee and was a member of the Appropriations, Judiciary and Environment and Public Works committees.
Before his time in the Senate, Graham had served in the House, where he represented South Carolina’s third district. He was elected to that office in 1994.
Graham was running for a fifth Senate term. He had been a close ally of President Donald Trump and a longtime hawk on Iran.
As a member of the U.S. House in the 1990s, he backed policies aimed at isolating the country and limiting its missile and nuclear programs.
He also cheered on Trump’s decision to strike nuclear sites last year and had been a supporter of the latest conflict that started a few months ago.
The sparse statement by Graham’s office, which did not explain his death, comes during a stretch of concern about a lack of transparency about lawmakers’ health.
Rep. Tom Kean Jr, a New Jersey Republican, was absent without explanation for months before returning to Congress and disclosing that he had been diagnosed with depression.
Sen. Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, was hospitalized weeks ago for undisclosed health reasons.
Graham, who was most known for his hawkish foreign policy positions, mounted a brief bid for the party’s presidential nomination during the 2016 campaign and later was a vocal critic of Donald Trump, the eventual GOP nominee.
Yet Graham became one of the now-president’s closest allies in office, speaking with him frequently and becoming a regular presence on the golf course alongside Trump. He especially advised the president on foreign policy matters such as Iran and Russia and had just announced an agreement on Friday with the Trump administration to move forward on a package of Russia sanctions.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
