WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a central figure in the Senate’s machinery for pushing party-line legislation and a close ally of President Donald Trump, died Saturday evening after a “brief and sudden illness,” his office said in a statement posted on social media. He was 71.
His office gave no additional details. That’s how the powerful often leave the public: a sparse statement, a request for privacy, and a lot of unanswered questions for everyone else.
“Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known, is dead!” Trump posted on social media early Sunday morning. “He was always working, and was a true American Patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!! DETAILS AND ARRANGEMENTS TO FOLLOW. So sad!”
Who Held the Levers
Graham had been serving as chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, a post that put him in the middle of Trump’s second term as Republicans used a slim majority to push major legislation on party-line votes. His committee oversaw reconciliation, the Senate procedure Republicans used to pass significant policies such as last year’s tax law without the threat of a Democratic filibuster.
That’s the apparatus in plain view. A handful of lawmakers, a procedural loophole, and a chamber built to turn public policy into a contest of managed numbers and controlled outcomes.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said “my heart is heavy this morning to learn the passing of my friend and colleague, Senator Lindsey Graham.” Thune said, “Lindsey’s long and dedicated service in the Air Force and in Congress carried him to far-flung regions of the world. He was a strong advocate for the United States and a strong ally to freedom-loving countries across the globe. He believed in the might of America to achieve good in the world and dedicated his life to advancing that cause.”
Graham was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002 after serving in the House. He briefly ran for president in 2016 and clashed with Trump, criticizing him as “unfit for office.” Later, he emerged as one of Trump’s top allies, speaking with him frequently and becoming a regular presence on the golf course alongside the president.
Foreign Policy for the Powerful
Graham 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 senator had been in Ukraine to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who acknowledged the senator’s 10th visit to the country and thanked him for “recognizing our warriors.”
As a member of the U.S. House in the 1990s, Graham backed policies aimed at isolating Iran 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.
Before he allied himself tightly with Trump, Graham was best known for his friendship and partnership with the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. McCain and Graham, along with former Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., were known as the “Three Amigos” and frequently traveled to push their hawkish foreign policy views around the globe.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday mourned Graham’s death, calling him “a great friend of Israel” and “a cherished friend of mine.” Netanyahu said Graham understood that the security of Israel and the United States is inseparable and devoted his life to defending America, strengthening the U.S.-Israel alliance and standing up for the free world. “Israel has lost one of its greatest friends. America has lost a great patriot. I have lost a beloved friend,” Netanyahu said, extending condolences to Graham’s family and the American people.
The Reform Trap and the Closed Door
Graham also played a central role in the Senate’s efforts to craft a massive immigration overhaul in 2013 as a member of the so-called Gang of Eight, a bipartisan group that wrote a sweeping measure that rewrote virtually every part of U.S. immigration law. It passed the Senate with 68 votes but was never taken up by the House, so it did not become law.
That’s the familiar script: a grand bipartisan rewrite, a Senate vote, and then the House simply lets it die. The people caught in the system get the spectacle of reform, while the institutions keep the final say.
But Graham’s views on immigration, particularly an endorsement of a pathway to citizenship for people in the U.S. without legal status, put him at odds with much of the Republican Party and made him vulnerable to primary challenges in South Carolina.
This year, Graham faced primary threats from Paul Dans, a key author of Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for governing drafted while Trump was running to regain the White House. Dans dropped out of the race in April and Graham won his primary outright in June and was facing Democrat Annie Andrews, a pediatrician from Charleston, in November.
Graham relied heavily on his close ties with Trump as he fended off primary challengers, and he addressed the president in his victory speech last month, saying, “I’m going to help you change this world and change this country.”
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.
Brian P. D. Hannon in Bangkok contributed to this report.