BREAKING: Sen. Lindsey Graham Dead at 71

We have some tragic, shocking news to bring you.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham has just passed away at the age of 71.

According to a statement from his office, the longtime Senator died after a “brief and sudden illness” on Saturday evening.

Read the full statement here:

Statement from the Office of U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina). pic.twitter.com/CQ5yVvqTH1

— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) July 12, 2026

Of course, Sen. Graham’s passing comes as another longtime Republican Senator, Mitch McConnell, remains hospitalized after being rushed to the hospital last month.

At this time, we do not have many details surrounding Sen. Graham’s death.

But, NBC News reports that he suffered a cardiac arrest at his home before passing:

Graham was chairman of the Senate Budget Committee and was seeking a fifth six-year Senate term in November. He was one of the most well-known members of the chamber and a key voice within the party on defense and international affairs.

Emergency personnel responded to a call for “cardiac arrest” at Graham’s Capitol Hill home on Saturday night, according to police scanner audio obtained by NBC News.

Photographs reviewed by NBC News show that paramedics carried a person on a stretcher from Graham’s home to an awaiting ambulance. Police cars and fire trucks were also on site.

In total, Sen. Graham served over 23 years in the Senate.

And, he worked right up until the end.

He had just returned home from a trip to Ukraine on Friday.

Zelensky shared a video of his meeting with Sen. Graham only two days ago:

Good meeting with U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham @LindseyGrahamSC in Kyiv. This is already his 10th visit to our country, and we appreciate this support.

I'm grateful to Lindsey for recognizing our warriors. The stronger Ukraine is on the battlefield, the greater the chances that… pic.twitter.com/bgZjjgIqu1

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 10, 2026

The New York Post reminisced further on Sen. Graham’s political career:

The Seneca, South Carolina, resident has represented the Palmetto State in the US Senate since 2003, succeeding outgoing 100-year-old Strom Thurmond.

He held key positions in the upper chamber, including as chairman of the Senate Budget Committee.

Before his four-term Senate career, Graham represented South Carolina’s third congressional district in the US House between 1995 and 2003.

Graham had served in the US Air Force as an active duty lawyer, retiring in 2015 as a colonel with the Air Force Reserves.

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South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has released a statement offering his condolences to Sen. Graham’s wife and family: