Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) died at age 71 at GW Hospital Saturday night, the Metropolitan Police Department confirmed Sunday.
Graham’s office announced his death early Sunday and later shared findings from the preliminary report from the D.C. medical examiners office that found he died from an aortic dissection, and MPD Chief Jeffrey W. Carroll and D.C. Chief Medical Examiner Francisco J. Diaz confirmed in a joint statement Sunday that the Senator was pronounced dead at GW Hospital Saturday night. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster must appoint a temporary replacement to carry out the remainder of Graham’s term, which was set to end in January, as the late senator was set to run for re-election for a fifth term this year.
The senator was pronounced dead at 10:23 p.m. Saturday, and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine the official cause of death following additional testing, like toxicology, per the statement. Emergency vehicles swarmed GW Hospital Saturday night when Graham reportedly arrived, and the New York Times reported emergency workers responded to a call about a person experiencing chest pains at Graham’s Capitol Hill address.
Graham’s death shrinks Republicans’ Senate majority to 51-47 amid Sen. Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) extended absence due to illness.
GW Hospital and Graham’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Graham served as one of South Carolina’s senators since 2002 after eight years in the U.S. House of Representatives, and he defeated five other Republicans in last month’s Senate primary in South Carolina. The state will need to hold a special primary Aug. 11 to choose a new nominee for the general elections, where McMaster’s to-be announced appointee could run against other candidates.
Graham and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) discussed their congressional priorities and expectations for President Donald Trump’s term in 2017 at a CNN town hall in Jack Morton Auditorium. Graham said Trump should expand military power, uphold diplomatic foreign relations, tighten immigration rules and push for further investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
“We’re never going to win this war with military force alone,” Graham said. “The best way to serve the Republican party is put the country ahead of everything else.”
Trump said in a Truth Social post Graham was a “dear friend” and ordered all American flags be lowered to half mast through Saturday evening in the senator’s honor. Trump on Monday morning recommended McMaster appoint Graham’s sister to the Senate seat.
Graham served as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee from 2019 to 2021, overseeing Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation in 2020. He chaired the Budget Committee since 2025 and allowed Republicans to advance Trump’s sweeping immigration and tax reforms without Democrats’ support.
Graham, largely described as a foreign policy hawk, voiced strong support for Israel and Ukraine and pushed for aggressive military action against Iran since the onset of the war in Iran earlier this year.
