Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., died following a “brief and sudden” illness Saturday, his office announced early Sunday, leaving his seat — and committee assignments — vacant. His passing also has implications for the November South Carolina Senate race, as he was up for re-election this year.
Under state law, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster is able to appoint someone to replace Graham until Jan. 3, although McMaster, on X Sunday morning, called the senator “irreplaceable.”
“The fiercest of fighters for South Carolina and America — and a loyal and steadfast friend,” McMaster wrote.
State law doesn’t dictate when McMaster has to pick someone to fill the seat.
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What’s in store for the Senate race
Graham won the Republican nomination in the state’s primary elections in June of this year. Another special Republican primary, per state law, needs to happen on Aug. 11. Interested Republican candidates can begin filing July 21.
Several media outlets have already reported that Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., is “strongly considering” a bid for Graham’s Senate seat. One source familiar with Mace’s thinking described her mindset as “you only live once” to Axios.
“South Carolina lost a giant last night. For more than three decades, Lindsey Graham gave everything he had to this state and this country, from the Air Force to the United States Senate,” Mace, who lost June’s gubernatorial primary, said on X. “We did not always agree, but no one ever questioned his love for South Carolina or the fight he brought to every room he walked into.”
Punchbowl News reported that Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., is interested in the interim appointment, as well as running for a full term. However, Wilson wrote on X that he plans to remain in the House of Representatives to “keep (President Donald Trump’s) two-vote majority for the American people!!!”
Whoever wins the Republican primary will face Democrat Dr. Annie Andrews, a pediatrician, in the general election.
“My deepest condolences are with the family of Senator Lindsey Graham, his friends, his devoted staff, and all who are grieving this sudden and tremendous loss,” Andrews wrote on X. “From his small-town South Carolina roots to the halls of the U.S. Senate, he was a man of great faith who proudly served our nation as a JAG officer and Air Force Colonel.”
A big impact on committee agendas
With Graham’s death, and Kentucky Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell in the hospital, the GOP’s majority in the Senate gets slimmer — at least until another appointment is made.
Graham chaired the Senate’s Budget Committee and was a member of the Judiciary, Appropriations and Environment and Public Works committees, too.
As chair of the Budget Committee, Graham was instrumental in getting the “Big, Beautiful Bill,” which placed new restrictions on SNAP and Medicaid, passed, as well as the Secure America Act that gave federal immigration enforcement agencies another $70 billion in funding.
His death comes at a time when President Donald Trump is urging Republicans to pass a bill giving $350 billion requested by the Pentagon and the SAVE Act, which tightens voting restrictions.
“No games, no delays, and no weak compromises!” Trump said on social media. “Do this ASAP.”
In addition, had he not died, Graham would have been part of the Judiciary Committee’s confirmation hearings this week for acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.
Key deadlines are also coming up: Congress leaves for summer recess in August, and funding for the State Department needs to be passed by Sept. 30.
Graham, who was 71, was first elected as a senator in 2002 after being in the House for eight years.
A former military lawyer, Graham advocated for an interventionist foreign policy. During a recent trip to Ukraine, a country he supported along with Israel, Graham toured a drone factory and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
McConnell was another Republican who aligned with Graham on Ukraine, including putting sanctions on Russia.
Round out your reading
- Your phone isn’t really eavesdropping. But it still knows all about you.
- After years of denying other elections, MyPillow founder won’t accept his own defeat.
- Gun suppressors sold unregistered for the first time since FDR, but not for everyone.
- Why an over-scrolled generation is turning to ‘grandma hobbies’ for mental health.
- Our personal information is for sale on the internet. We know — we bought it.
