Sen. Lindsey Graham Dies at 71, Leaving Complex Political Legacy
- Staff Report
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of the Republican Party's most influential and recognizable figures, died Saturday following what his office described as a brief illness. He was 71.
Graham represented South Carolina in the U.S. Senate for more than two decades after first being elected in 2002. Before serving in the Senate, he represented South Carolina in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003 and previously served in the South Carolina House of Representatives. A military attorney, Graham also served in the U.S. Air Force and later the Air Force Reserve.
Throughout his career, Graham established himself as a leading Republican voice on national security, military affairs and the federal judiciary. He served as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee during President Donald Trump's first term and became one of Trump's closest allies after initially fiercely opposing his 2016 presidential campaign.
Graham's relationship with the Black community, both nationally and in his home state of South Carolina, evolved significantly over the course of his political career and can best be described as mixed early in his Senate tenure but increasingly adversarial in later years.
Earlier in his career, Graham occasionally found common ground with Black leaders and civil rights advocates. Following the 2015 racist mass shooting at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, he became one of the highest-profile South Carolina Republicans to publicly support removing the Confederate battle flag from the grounds of the State House. His support was widely viewed as instrumental in helping build bipartisan momentum for the flag's removal.
Graham also supported the federal First Step Act, a bipartisan criminal justice reform law signed in 2018 that sought to reduce recidivism and reform portions of the federal sentencing system. The legislation received support from many faith leaders and criminal justice reform advocates, including within the Black community.
In later years, however, Graham's standing among many Black Americans declined sharply as he aligned himself more closely with President Trump. Civil rights organizations frequently criticized his positions on voting rights, judicial appointments and election-related issues, while many Black voters viewed him as a defender of policies they believed disproportionately affected minority communities.
He also drew criticism in 2020 after stating during his Senate re-election campaign that "Black people can go anywhere in South Carolina. You just need to be conservative," a remark many civil rights advocates argued minimized the state's history of racial discrimination and ongoing inequities.
Despite those criticisms, Graham maintained close political relationships with several Black Republican leaders, most notably fellow South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, whom he frequently praised as an example of opportunity within the Republican Party.
Following news of Graham's death, President Trump called him "a true American patriot" and praised his decades of public service. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster described Graham as "the fiercest of fighters for South Carolina and America."
Graham never married and had no children. He is survived by his sister, Darline Graham Nordone, and other family members.
Under South Carolina law, Gov. McMaster is expected to appoint an interim U.S. senator to fill the vacancy until a special election is held.
Graham's death marks the end of one of the longest-serving Republican Senate careers of the past quarter century. Remembered as a staunch conservative on national defense and foreign policy, he leaves behind a legacy that inspired admiration among supporters while prompting significant criticism from many civil rights advocates and Black Americans, reflecting the deep political and cultural divisions that characterized much of his later career.
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