Lindsey Graham Dies At 71 After Brief Illness; SC Governor To Appoint Interim Successor
By CU Today Staff —
WASHINGTON—Sen. Lindsey Graham has died at age 71 following what his office described as a "brief and sudden illness."
Graham died Saturday evening after returning from a congressional trip to Ukraine and was in the midst of a campaign for a fifth Senate term.
First elected to the Senate in 2002 after serving four terms in the U.S. House, Graham built a national profile through his work on the Senate Judiciary and Budget committees and his outspoken positions on national security, judicial confirmations and foreign affairs. Although he was a sharp critic of Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign, Graham later became one of the president's most reliable allies and frequently advised the White House on defense and international policy, the Associate Press noted.
Tributes poured in Sunday from across the political spectrum. President Trump praised Graham as a loyal friend and steadfast supporter, while Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu all recognized his decades-long commitment to U.S. national security and America's alliances abroad, AP added.
Under South Carolina law, Gov. Henry McMaster is expected to appoint an interim senator to fill the vacancy until a special election is held. New reporting indicates that Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin—not Senator Roger Marshall—is prepared to assume leadership of the Senate Budget Committee, reducing the immediate concern that Marshall could use the Budget Committee chairmanship to increase his leverage on behalf of the Credit Card Competition Act.
The Defense Credit Union Council noted that a new Budget Committee chair could influence the size, timing, and instructions associated with the next reconciliation package.
"Even when a reconciliation bill does not expressly address credit unions, it may affect federal tax policy, housing, small-business lending, health benefits, military compensation, federal employment, and household finances," stated DCUC Chief Advocacy Officer Jason Stverak.
Stverak added that interchange language remains unlikely to qualify for reconciliation because a private-sector payment-routing mandate would face significant challenges under the Senate’s Byrd Rule.
"The more credible threat continues to be an effort to secure a standalone vote or attach the proposal to another legislative vehicle, including the National Defense Authorization Act, appropriations legislation, or a broader financial-services package," he said.
Graham's death leaves one of the Senate's most prominent Republican seats unexpectedly open just months before the November election and is likely to reshape both South Carolina politics and the Republican conference in Washington.
Before Sen. Graham's death, Republicans held a 53-47 Senate majority. His death leaves the GOP with 52 occupied seats, while Sen. Mitch McConnell remains hospitalized and is expected to miss the Senate's return Monday. That means Republicans are likely to have only 51 voting members available, compared with the Democrats' 47. Republicans retain control of the chamber, but with a much slimmer working margin, allowing them to lose no more than three Republican votes on a party-line measure and still prevail, 48-47. Vice President JD Vance could cast the deciding vote in the event of a 50-50 tie where constitutionally permitted.
Originally reported by CU Today.