Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina has died at the age of 71 after a “brief and sudden” illness, his office announced on Sunday. The death of the staunch Trump ally, who had no known health issues and maintained an active schedule, removes one of the few remaining Republican foreign policy hawks from the US Senate.
The timing of Graham’s death, just days after he made a supportive visit to Ukraine and shortly before the announcement of new US sanctions on Russia, has triggered widespread online speculation. However, no mainstream reporting has suggested anything other than a heart attack in a man in his 70s, his office said in a statement.
Graham was a vital ally for former President Donald Trump, often acting as a key defender on Capitol Hill. His absence leaves Trump and his political allies more isolated in the Senate, particularly on matters of foreign policy and judicial nominations.
The senator’s death is not expected to immediately alter the balance of power in the Senate, but it will leave a vacancy that South Carolina’s governor is likely to fill with a Republican appointee. The timing of the death, during a period of heightened political tension, has inevitably drawn comparisons to the UK’s upcoming general election, though no direct link has been established.
