/i.s3.glbimg.com/v1/AUTH_63b422c2caee4269b8b34177e8876b93/internal_photos/bs/2018/e/e/PAMa3oQXOPBUOsGgFyFw/valor-tenant-icon.png){kind=icon}
/i.s3.glbimg.com/v1/AUTH_da025474c0c44edd99332dddb09cabe8/internal_photos/bs/2023/1/X/nkkB7tSdirnIUbGhakCQ/favicon-o-globo.png){kind=small}
/i.s3.glbimg.com/v1/AUTH_59edd422c0c84a879bd37670ae4f538a/internal_photos/bs/2021/H/w/YbA657S3aYVfC0P9wboQ/g1-favicon.png){kind=small}
Overview
- Graham’s office announced late Saturday that the 71-year-old senator from South Carolina died after a “brief and sudden” illness, without naming a medical cause.
- U.S. media reported emergency responders were called to his Washington residence and NBC cited an unconfirmed cardiac-arrest call; those details have not been verified by Graham’s team.
- President Trump, Israeli leaders and Ukraine’s president issued public tributes, noting Graham’s close advisory role on foreign policy and recent participation in a Kyiv delegation that announced new U.S. sanctions on Russia.
- South Carolina law gives Governor Henry McMaster the power to appoint a temporary replacement to serve until the term ends in January, and state reporting named Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, as the pick.
- Graham served in the Senate since 2002 and led on budget and appropriations work; his death removes a strong backer of robust U.S. support for Israel and Ukraine and could affect committee posts and the Senate’s narrow Republican majority.