Senator Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican who spent over two decades as one of the most recognizable voices in the United States Senate, has died at the age of 71 following what his office described as a "brief and sudden illness." As first reported by Trending Politics, a statement was released by Graham's office on Saturday night confirming the news.
According to NBC News, emergency personnel responded to a call for "cardiac arrest" at Graham's Capitol Hill home on Saturday night. Photographs reviewed by NBC showed paramedics carrying a person on a stretcher from the residence to a waiting ambulance, with police cars and fire trucks also on scene.
"Senator Graham's family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period," the statement from his office read.
Love him or not, and plenty of people managed to do both sometimes in the same week, Graham was a fixture in Washington. He had represented South Carolina in the Senate since January 2003 and was actively campaigning for a fifth six-year term in November at the time of his death. He chaired the Senate Budget Committee, which is one of those jobs that sounds boring until you realize it controls where all the money goes.
Graham was especially influential on matters of national defense, foreign policy, and international affairs, which is a polite way of saying he never met a microphone he would not walk toward when the subject of military action came up. The man had opinions on every conflict on the planet and was not shy about sharing them on cable news at any hour of the day.
His career had a fascinating arc. He went from being one of John McCain's closest allies and a frequent thorn in Donald Trump's side to becoming one of Trump's most enthusiastic golf buddies and defenders. The transformation was so dramatic that people started referring to it as "Lindsey 2.0," a version upgrade that not everyone was sure they ordered.
Reactions poured in across social media. Thomas Hern posted on Twitter, "I disagreed with Senator Lindsey Graham on a number of issues, but this is how I am going to choose to remember him. Fighting for the confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Lindsey 2.0 was something else. RIP." Kylie Jane Kremer noted that "regardless of where you stood politically, Senator Lindsey Graham leaves behind a consequential legacy in the U.S. Senate."
Whatever your feelings about his politics, 71 is too young, and cardiac arrest does not care about your committee assignments or your polling numbers. Graham spent his entire adult life in public service, first as a military lawyer and then as a legislator, and that kind of dedication deserves at least a moment of acknowledgment before everyone goes back to arguing about everything else.
This is a developing story.
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