Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina has died at the age of 71 following what his office described as a brief and unexpected illness.
Graham, one of the most influential Republican voices in the U.S. Senate and a close ally of President Donald Trump in recent years, died on Saturday. His office announced his death in a statement but did not disclose additional details about the cause of his illness.
A Prominent Republican Voice in the Senate
First elected to the Senate in 2002 after serving in the U.S. House of Representatives, Graham built a reputation as a leading voice on national security, foreign policy and judicial nominations during more than two decades in Congress.
Graham’s relationship with Donald Trump evolved dramatically over the past decade. After emerging as one of Trump’s sharpest Republican critics during the 2016 presidential campaign, he later became one of the president’s closest allies and a key supporter on judicial nominations, foreign policy and national security. He remained active in the Senate until his death, recently returning from a visit to Ukraine while campaigning for another term.
Tributes from political leaders across the United States began pouring in following the announcement of his death, while his family requested privacy. Graham’s death leaves a vacancy in the U.S. Senate that will be filled according to South Carolina law.
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