South Carolinians were shocked Sunday morning to learn of the sudden death of longtime U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham.
According to a report in The Washington Post, District of Columbia emergency services received a call at around 8:30 p.m. Saturday about a man having chest pains at Graham’s Capitol Hill address. At about 2 a.m., Graham’s office announced that the 71-year-old Republican senator had “passed away from a brief and sudden illness.”
President Donald Trump, with whom Graham shared a sometimes rocky but ultimately close political partnership, offered his thoughts on the four-term senator’s passing in an early morning social media post.
“Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the greatest people and senators I have ever known, is dead!” Trump wrote at 3:21 a.m. “He was always working, and was a true American patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!!”
Back in South Carolina, prayers and condolences for Graham’s family poured in through the night and into Sunday.
Gov. Henry McMaster said he and his wife Peggy were “devastated” by the news, calling Graham a “steadfast friend” and “the fiercest of fighters for South Carolina and America.”
“We grieve with [Graham’s sister] Darline, his family and his devoted staff,” McMaster said in a release. “May God hold him gently in the palm of his hand. We shall not see his likes again.”
In Charleston, Mayor William Cogswell lauded Graham for the critical financial support he’d secured for major Lowcountry projects, from harbor deepening to flood protection.
“Senator Lindsey Graham served South Carolina in Washington for more than three decades, and the Lowcountry saw the results of that service every day,” Cogswell said. “On behalf of the City of Charleston, our thoughts and prayers are with his family, his friends and his staff. His legacy will endure in the city and state he loved.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Annie Andrews, the Democrat who was set to challenge Graham this November as he sought a fifth Senate term, called on South Carolinians to join her in “setting partisanship aside and offering gratitude” to Graham for his service as an elected official, a JAG officer and a colonel in the Air Force.
“My deepest condolences are with the family of Sen. Lindsey Graham, his friends, his devoted staff and all who are grieving this sudden and tremendous loss,” Andrews said.
Under state law, McMaster will appoint a successor to serve the remainder of Graham’s current term, which ends in January. Republicans will hold a special primary, expected on Aug. 11, to select a replacement nominee for the November election.
This is a developing story. Please check back for more.
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