South Carolina mourns Lindsey Graham after sudden death at 71

Nancy Mace said she and other members of Congress were "in a state of shock" after Lindsey Graham died Saturday at 71 from a brief and sudden illness, a death that immediately opened South Carolina’s Senate seat while he was still running for reelection in November. Graham had been the senior U.S. senator from South Carolina and a four-term incumbent, with the state already deep into a campaign that had put him back on the ballot after the June 9 primaries.

Graham’s absence also removes a senior Republican from the Senate’s internal power structure. His Senate biography listed him as chairman of the Budget Committee and a member of the Appropriations, Judiciary and Environment and Public Works committees, giving him leverage over spending bills, judicial business and the state’s federal agenda at a moment when party leaders are trying to reset for the fall.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Graham’s influence on the federal judiciary, national defense and South Carolina would be felt for generations, and called him a trusted adviser whose counsel had been sought by presidents and heads of state. CBS also reported that Donald Trump paid tribute to Graham and was scheduled for a Sunday interview. Graham’s years as an outspoken foreign policy hawk made him a familiar voice in GOP debates over defense and America’s role abroad.

South Carolina Republicans are now beginning to search for a replacement, and one name already being discussed is Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette. Under the state’s special-election process, filing for GOP candidates is expected to open July 21 and close July 28, the special Republican primary is set for Aug. 11, and a runoff would follow on Aug. 25 if no candidate clears 50%.

The June 9 primary results still frame the scramble: Graham won the Republican nomination that night, and Democrat Annie Andrews won the Democratic primary the same evening. What was shaping up as a fall rematch now becomes a race to fill a vacancy in Washington and decide who inherits Graham’s influence in South Carolina and among Republicans who had long relied on him for judiciary and national-security politics.