Sen. Lindsey Graham Dies at 71 After Sudden Illness Following Ukraine Trip

Tributes are pouring in from Capitol Hill and around the world for Senator Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican who died Saturday night at age 71. His office says he suffered a brief, sudden illness shortly after returning from a trip to Ukraine.

Emergency responders rushed to Graham's Capitol Hill home Saturday night after he went into cardiac arrest. His office says a preliminary report from the medical examiner points to a tear in the heart's main artery, caused by cardiovascular disease.

Graham spent nearly 30 years in Congress, building his influence on relationships across the aisle. Senator Tim Scott, also of South Carolina, said Graham "started in public service because he wanted to make sure that no one felt invisible." Senator Chris Coons of Delaware called him "no better friend, no tougher adversary."

President Trump said he spoke with Graham the night before he died. Graham started out as a vocal skeptic of Trump but became one of his closest allies in the Senate, pushing his agenda hard. "The friendship grew," Trump said. "It just grew. And he was an amazing advocate."

Graham had just returned from Kyiv, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and announced that the White House was backing a bipartisan bill to sanction Russia. "I have never been more optimistic than I am today that we have the formula to end this war," Graham said.

A longtime foreign policy hawk, Graham was also a strong supporter of Israel and pushed for an aggressive stance toward American adversaries. He served in the Air Force as a military lawyer before entering politics.

Graham was running for a fifth Senate term and his death now leaves South Carolina preparing for a snap primary. Governor Henry McMaster will name someone to fill his seat temporarily through the end of the year, while the state sorts out who runs to replace him long-term.