His Racially Charged Record and Transformation Into a Staunch Trump Ally Defined His Later Years in Washington
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, the longtime South Carolina Republican who denied that systemic racism existed in America and drew backlash for telling Black residents they could succeed in his state if they were conservative, has died at 71.
Graham died Saturday following what his office described as a “brief and sudden illness.” His staff did not immediately disclose a specific cause of death.
The statement posted on social media late Saturday did not provide any additional details about the South Carolina Republican, a former Air Force lawyer, and said his family “appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period.”
Emergency personnel responded to Graham’s Capitol Hill residence after receiving a cardiac arrest call Saturday evening, according to multiple reports. Graham had recently returned from Ukraine, where he met Friday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and continued advocating for stronger sanctions against Russia.
“Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known, is dead!” Trump posted on social media early Sunday. “He was always working, and was a true American Patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!! DETAILS AND ARRANGEMENTS TO FOLLOW. So sad!”
The four-term senator had represented South Carolina in the U.S. Senate since January 2003 and was seeking another term in the November election.
Graham’s Death Reshapes South Carolina Senate Race
Graham’s death immediately creates uncertainty in Washington and in South Carolina’s 2026 Senate race.
Republicans already held a narrow Senate majority, while Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell remained hospitalized following an undisclosed illness. Graham’s absence further reduces the party’s active membership as Congress approaches a consequential stretch of legislative and judicial business.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster is expected to appoint a temporary replacement to fill Graham’s seat. State election officials and party leaders must also determine how Republicans will replace Graham as their nominee in the Nov. 3 general election.
Graham had won the Republican primary in June and was scheduled to face Democratic nominee Annie Andrews.
The senator’s office announced his death shortly before Graham was expected to appear Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Graham’s Statements About Race Drew National Backlash
Throughout his political career, Graham maintained limited support among Black voters in South Carolina, where he repeatedly rejected arguments that systemic racism shaped American institutions.
During a 2020 Senate candidate forum with Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison, Graham drew national criticism when he suggested Black residents and immigrants could succeed anywhere in South Carolina as long as they embraced conservative politics.
“If you’re a young African American, an immigrant, you can go anywhere in this state,” Graham said. “You just need to be conservative, not liberal.”
The comment came during nationwide protests over police violence and racial inequality following the murder of George Floyd.
Graham later denied that systemic racism existed in the United States, pointing to the elections of Barack Obama and Kamala Harris as evidence.
“Not in my opinion. We just elected a two-term African American president,” Graham said during a 2021 Fox News appearance.
“The vice president is of African American-Indian descent,” he continued. “So our systems are not racist. America’s not a racist country.”
Graham also used his influential position on the Senate Judiciary Committee to support conservative judicial nominees whom civil rights organizations opposed over their records on voting rights, criminal justice and racial discrimination.
He served as Judiciary Committee chairman from 2019 to 2021 and helped advance several of President Donald Trump’s federal court nominees. Graham later voted against confirming Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who became the first Black woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Still, Graham occasionally pushed back against racial and religious conspiracy theories circulating within his own party.
In 2015, he defended Obama against false claims that the president was a Muslim born in Kenya.
“To those people who think Obama’s a Muslim who was born in Kenya, I lost you a long time ago,” Graham told CNN. “There’s a dislike of Obama in my party that’s unhealthy.”
From Trump Critic to Loyal Defender
Graham’s political transformation became one of the most discussed chapters of his career.
When Trump sought the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, Graham called him a “race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot.” After Trump won the presidency, however, Graham became one of his most visible allies and frequently defended him during congressional investigations, two impeachment trials and controversies surrounding the 2020 election
A photograph circulated in 2020 showing Graham posing with Joe Biggs, then a prominent Proud Boys organizer, at the Trump International Hotel in Washington. Graham had previously described the Proud Boys as a racist organization. The photograph did not establish that Graham and Biggs had dinner together.
Trump responded to Graham’s death in a Truth Social post, calling him “one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known.”
“He was always working, and was a true American Patriot,” Trump wrote. “Lindsey will be greatly missed!!!”
Graham was born in Central, South Carolina, and earned his bachelor’s degree and law degree from the University of South Carolina. He served as a military attorney in the U.S. Air Force before entering politics.
He was elected to the U.S. House in 1994 and served four terms before winning the Senate seat previously held by segregationist Strom Thurmond in 2002.
Over more than three decades in Washington, Graham became particularly influential on military affairs and foreign policy. He was a longtime supporter of Israel, Ukraine and increased defense spending and was frequently among the Senate’s most outspoken advocates for U.S. intervention abroad.
Graham was unmarried and had no children. He is survived by his sister, Darline Graham Nordone.
