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The US Senator passed away this weekend aged 71.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has passed away at 71 during the weekend, and now the preliminary findings from the Washington DC medical examiner have been released.
According to the BBC and Associated Press, the examiner cites aortic dissection – a condition where the main artery carrying blood from the heart is torn.
The dissection was likely related to Graham’s arteries being hardened.
The death certificate will be released when all toxicological and microscopic testing has been finished, his spokesperson stated.
Global legacy remembered
First elected in 2002, the South Carolina lawmaker became a dominant voice in capital politics. He was a close ally to President Donald Trump and a fierce hawk who regularly pushed for overseas military action.
Days before his death, Graham travelled to Kyiv to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Zelensky expressed deep sadness on X, writing, “Lindsey was a true defender of freedom and the values that make our world safer.”
The senator was equally vocal about the Middle East, strongly backing military pressure on Iran. Last month, he told CBS that the US would “obliterate” Iran if it defied American control over the Strait of Hormuz.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also praised him on Sunday. Netanyahu remarked, “Lindsey understood that the security of Israel and America are inseparable,” adding that Israel had lost “one of its greatest friends.”
Mastering political survival
Over his career, Graham evolved from a harsh critic of Donald Trump into a loyal defender. Before the 2016 election, he warned, “If we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed… and we will deserve it.”
Yet his stance shifted. Graham voted against convicting the former president during his 2021 impeachment trial and backed Trump’s 2024 campaign.
Explaining his choice to the BBC in 2023, Graham said, “There is a dark side to Donald Trump… and he was a very good president. But I am sticking with him because I saw what he did,” citing conservative judges and border policies.
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster will appoint a temporary replacement until January. This vacancy complicates the fight for the Senate, where Republicans held a 53-47 majority before Graham’s passing. A successor will be chosen this November.
