U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham Dies at 71; Governor to Name Interim Successor
July 12, 2026
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who spent more than two decades in the Senate and became one of the chamber’s leading voices on defense and foreign policy, died Saturday evening, July 11. He was 71.
Graham’s office announced the death Sunday, saying the senator passed away after a brief and sudden illness. The statement asked for privacy for his family and did not release additional details. Graham had been in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Friday, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and he was scheduled to appear on a national news program Sunday morning.
A native of Central, South Carolina, Graham was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002 and won reelection in 2008, 2014 and 2020. He previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the South Carolina House, and he retired from the U.S. Air Force Reserve as a colonel after more than three decades of military service. At the time of his death, he chaired the Senate Budget Committee.
Gov. Henry McMaster called Graham irreplaceable and described him as one of the fiercest advocates for South Carolina. President Donald Trump, a close ally, remembered the senator as a true American patriot and one of the greatest senators he had known. Tributes also came from foreign leaders, including Zelenskyy and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
How the Seat Will Be Filled
Graham’s death creates a vacancy in his current Senate term, which runs through Jan. 3, 2027. Under South Carolina law, the governor fills that vacancy first by appointment, followed by an election to complete any unexpired portion of the term.
State law, found in S.C. Code Section 7-19-20, allows the governor to appoint a temporary replacement immediately. That appointee serves until Jan. 3 following the next general election. Because South Carolina’s general election falls on Nov. 3 this year, an appointee named by McMaster would serve through the end of Graham’s current term.
State law does not require the appointee to belong to the same party as the departed senator, though a Republican governor would be expected to name a Republican. South Carolina is among the majority of states that fill U.S. Senate vacancies by gubernatorial appointment rather than requiring a standalone special election. The approach is permitted under the 17th Amendment, which lets states set their own rules for filling Senate seats.
A New Nominee for November
Graham’s seat was already on the ballot this year. He won the Republican primary in June for the term beginning in January 2027. His death leaves the party without a nominee for the Nov. 3 general election, so the South Carolina Republican Party must select a replacement nominee through a special primary and, if needed, a runoff.
Under the state’s election calendar, candidate filing is expected to open July 21 and close July 28. A special primary would follow on Aug. 11, with a runoff, if necessary, on Aug. 25. The winner would represent the party in the November general election, and the victor in that race would serve the full six-year term.
Those dates are tentative and have not been confirmed. The South Carolina Election Commission and state party officials are expected to set and announce the official schedule in the coming days, and the timeline could change.
Funeral and memorial arrangements had not been announced as of Sunday.
