New York [US], July 14: US Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican who went from a vocal critic of Donald Trump to one of his most loyal allies after Trump became president, has died, his office announced on Sunday. He was 71.
The South Carolina lawmaker died after a "brief and sudden illness," his office posted on X. US media said emergency personnel had responded to a call for cardiac arrest at his Capitol Hill home in Washington on Saturday night.
"It appears to have been a heart attack," South Carolina Republican Senator Tim Scott told CBS News' "Face the Nation" program.
The contest to succeed Graham will not impact the broader fight for control of the Senate in November between Republicans and Democrats, as South Carolina is a reliably Republican state.
However, his death robs Trump of a dependable Senate vote as the president seeks to push his agenda in the closely divided Senate.
"He's a tough one to lose," Trump told NBC's "Meet the Press" program. "He was great. He was unique in every way."
Another senior Republican in the upper chamber - Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky - remains hospitalized for undisclosed health problems.
Trump, speaking on CNN's "State of the Union" program, said Graham, who had just returned from a trip to Ukraine, called him on Saturday night. "Other than being tired, he was fine," Trump said.
The president said he received news of Graham's death early Sunday morning. Trump ordered US flags to be lowered in Graham's honor.
Under South Carolina law, the state's Republican governor, Henry McMaster, can immediately appoint a temporary replacement to fill Graham's seat.
South Carolina Republicans must then also hold an expedited primary election to pick a nominee for the November midterm election.
That nominee does not have to be the same person McMaster picks as a temporary replacement.Graham, a defense hawk, was a prominent supporter of Israel and Ukraine and an opponent of Iran.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he was "deeply saddened" by the news, calling Graham "a true defender of freedom and the values that make our world safer."
Source: Qatar Tribune