Lindsey Graham, the longest-serving senator in South Carolina history, died on Saturday at the age of 71, leaving a complex legacy that mirrors the contradictions of his home state. His sudden exit creates a void not only in Washington but also in a state that elected him four times and grappled with his evolution from a Ronald Reagan Republican to a staunch ally of Donald Trump.
Shock and Mourning in South Carolina
“I was shocked,” said Caleb Davis, 21, an air force enlistment candidate wandering the state house grounds in Columbia on Tuesday. “He was our senator longer than I’ve been alive. He served us in the legacy of the great Strom Thurmond and whether I liked the man or his politics hasn’t got much to do with it. He was truly great and his shoes are gonna be some big ones to fill.”
Republicans have only a month to organize a primary to find a candidate to replace Graham in November's midterm elections. In the meantime, South Carolina mourns a vivid character who reflected its own complexities: a conservative who championed bipartisan immigration reform, a foreign policy hawk who compromised his independence for an isolationist president, a man without a traditional family who cared for his sister, and a globetrotting statesman with small-town charm.
Early Life and Rise to Politics
Graham was born in 1955 in Central, South Carolina, to Millie and Florence James Graham, who owned a restaurant, bar, and pool hall. The family lived in one room behind the building. Jennifer Berry Hawes, a ProPublica reporter who covered South Carolina, said the state “was absolutely the backbone of who he is. He grew up in a bar. The bar’s bathroom was the family’s bathroom and its kitchen was their kitchen. It was not glamorous at all.”
As a child, Graham entertained customers at the bar, earning the nickname “Stinkball.” Hawes added: “Back in the day he could entertain people because he was a little salty... He would throw in some profanity and the things that would later tell you, ‘I’m like a regular person, I’m not the stuffy senator.’”
Graham was a C student in high school and became the first in his family to attend college at the University of South Carolina. After his parents died, he became guardian of his sister Darline, nearly nine years younger. He later extolled Social Security for helping them stay afloat. On Tuesday, Darline was sworn in to serve out his unexpired Senate term.
Military Service and Political Career
With a law degree, Graham served as a judge advocate general in the Air Force, starting as a defense attorney and rising to chief prosecutor in Europe. He entered the US House in 1994 during the “Republican Revolution” and faced the daunting task of replacing Strom Thurmond in the Senate in 2002. Bakari Sellers, a former South Carolina state representative, noted: “Anything from a federal military issue to a passport issue to a letter of recommendation for a kid trying to go to the military, you go to two people in South Carolina. You go to Jim Clyburn or you go to Lindsey Graham. We’re going to miss him for that, truly.”
Graham’s political ascent was fueled by media savvy. Danielle Vinson, a politics professor at Furman University, said: “He very quickly figured out, even as a House member, that media could compensate for a lack of institutional power... This was a man who was willing to sit down on the Sunday morning talkshows, any Sunday. ‘Christmas Eve? Fine, I’ll be there. Thanksgiving weekend? I’ll be there.’”
The Trump Transformation
Graham’s legacy is marked by his transformation from a Never Trump critic to one of Trump’s most loyal allies. During the 2016 primaries, he called Trump a “race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot.” But after Trump won, Graham became a key defender, notably delivering an impassioned defense of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh in 2018. Antjuan Seawright, a Democratic strategist, said: “There was Lindsey Graham before Donald Trump, and then there was Lindsey Graham after Donald Trump.”
Katon Dawson, former chairman of the state Republican party, rejected the notion that Graham betrayed himself: “Lindsey didn’t sell his principles. Lindsey went to do business to help the state of South Carolina... At the end of every one of those deals was something for our state.” Mark Sanford, former South Carolina governor, said: “I don’t think it was a change. He would tell you to your face, look, to wield power, you gotta be close to power... He got close to McCain because that was a power node. He got close to Trump because that power node.”
Personal Life and Speculation
Graham’s personal life was subject to speculation, particularly in the evangelical South. He said he had “been close once” to marrying a woman, but his devotion to his sister provided political cover. Vinson noted: “There was all kinds of speculation but he always countered it by reminding people of his close relationship with his sister... it inoculated him a bit.” Asked who would serve as first lady if elected president, he quipped: “Well, I’ve got a sister.”
Mixed Reactions and Legacy
Roger Kirby, 66, a state representative, said: “He was always a mixed bag of politics. You loved him and you hated him and it could all be in the same month. But although I’m a Democrat and Lindsey was a Republican, I was always impressed with his constituent services. It’s amazing to think how much time he actually spent on the job. He was 100% a senator for the state of South Carolina.”
