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by WILL FOLKS
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While all of Washington, D.C. was watching and waiting for news about one United States senator’s declining health, it was evidently the health of another long-serving Republican senator they should have been keeping an eye on.
U.S. senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina – one of the America’s most aggressively unrepentant, neoconservative warmongers – passed away on Saturday evening (July 11, 2026) after a “brief and sudden illness,” according to a statement released early Sunday morning from his office.
“Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period,” the statement added.
Initial indicators suggest Graham, 71, of Central, S.C., may have died of a heart attack, with emergency responders having reportedly been dispatched to his Washington, D.C. residence on South Capital Street at approximately 8:27 p.m. EDT on Saturday evening in response to reports of the Palmetto State’s senior senator experiencing “chest pains.”
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The initial call alerting emergency responders to Graham’s condition was reportedly placed by a female 911 caller from Baltimore, Maryland.
Five minutes later, at approximately 8:32 p.m. EDT, responders indicated Graham’s residence was locked and that they were attempting to get someone inside to open the door. Two minutes later, the 911 caller inquired as to whether first responders had attempted to knock on the door – apparently under the assumption Graham was able to answer.
“Yes, repeatedly,” came the response, according to a synopsis of radio traffic associated with the call.
A minute later, at 8:35 p.m. EDT, first responders forced entry into Graham’s residence. Within 20 minutes, cardiopulmonary resuscitation was underway in response to apparent “cardiac arrest,” with Graham being taken by stretcher to George Washington University Hospital at approximately 9:30 p.m. EDT.
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Last night, Senator Lindsey Graham was transported to GWU Hospital on Medic 7, seen here just after his arrival. He passed away shortly thereafter. https://t.co/v25cplOlXe pic.twitter.com/7jMjvZEPdq
— Andrew Leyden (@PenguinSix) July 12, 2026
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An exact time of death has not been released, nor has there been any formal announcement of the precise cause and manner of his passing, although a source familiar with the situation has described it as a “massive heart attack.”
On Sunday afternoon, the medical examiner of the District of Columbia announced a preliminary finding that Graham died from “an aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.” An aortic dissection refers to a tear in the lining of the aorta – the main artery of the heart – which can make the entire artery split. Arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease refers to the hardening of arteries over time which can cause high blood pressure.
Toxicological and microscopic testing are still being “finalized,” the examiner added.
According to NBC News, Graham was scheduled to appear on its ‘Meet the Press‘ program on Sunday morning – with staffers from his office telling the network there was “no indication the lawmaker was feeling unwell prior to his death.”
Graham’s death prompted a flood of responses from America’s political leaders.
“Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known, is dead!” U.S. president Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social. “He was always working, and was a true American Patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!!”
In a subsequent interview with NBC News, Trump said Graham called him less than two hours before he died.
“He said he just landed from Ukraine,” Trump told the network. “He sounded a little tired – but perfect. But a little bit tired.”
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Graham was also hailed by leaders of the foreign nations who continue benefitting from his seemingly unquenchable thirst for military interventionism and adventurism across the globe.
“Israel has lost one of its greatest friends. America has lost a great patriot. I have lost a beloved friend,” Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote on X.
“Lindsey was a true defender of freedom and the values that make our world safer,” Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X. “He visited Ukraine ten times during the years of Russia’s full-scale invasion and was here with our people when it was most needed. We remained in constant dialogue, and I will miss our conversations. We met twice in just the past week.”
Graham was in Ukraine the day before he died, his tenth visit to the eastern European nation. According to Zelenskyy, the late senator “briefed me on the work underway in Congress on the relevant bill” and “discussed our urgent air defense needs to protect our people.”
Zelenskyy’s remark about the “relevant bill” refers to sanctions legislation introduced by Graham that would impose “a heavy price” on nations which purchase Russian oil and gas through intermediaries. Graham announced during his Ukrainian visit that the legislation was “going to become law.”
During his visit to Ukraine, Graham toured the production facility of SkyFall, a Ukrainian defense company that specializes in the manufacture of military drones.
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According to the Kyiv Post, Graham “familiarized himself with the development and manufacturing process of heavy bomber drones” and reviewed “new technological solutions that will soon appear on the battlefield.”
“It would be a huge mistake for America not to cooperate with Ukraine in the field of drones,” Graham said during his tour of the facility, which he referred to as a “state-of-the-art enterprise that has huge capacities and produces technologies far more advanced than anyone on the planet.”
Graham served one term in the S.C. House of Representatives from 1992-1994. That fall, he was elected to the U.S. Congress from the Palmetto State’s third congressional district – part of the “Republican Revolution” – and in 2002 he ran unopposed for the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate seat held by the legendary Strom Thurmond.
Graham defeated Democrat Alex Sanders in the 2002 election and was sworn in as senator on January 2, 2003. He held the seat until his death – never facing credible Republican opposition at any point during his lengthy tenure in Washington D.C.
After running unsuccessfully for the presidency in 2016, Graham – an erstwhile #NeverTrumper – flip-flopped and began supporting the president in late 2017 when it became clear he was about to lose his seat in pro-Trump South Carolina. He proceeded to ingratiated himself into Trump’s orbit, and has been one of the president’s top insider allies ever since.
Just last month, Graham defeated several Republican challengers to win the GOP nomination for a another six-year term – although his support amongst the Palmetto State’s Republican electorate continued to erode.
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WHAT HAPPENS NOW?
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With Graham’s current term not expiring until January 3, 2027, S.C. governor Henry McMaster will appoint a successor to fill the seat over the next six months, per the S.C. Code of Laws (§ 7-19-20). McMaster could choose any number of temporary replacements – including himself.
Were McMaster to appoint himself, lieutenant governor Pamela Evette – who was decisively defeated in last month’s partisan primary for governor – would assume the state’s chief executive office for the remainder of his term, which ends on January 13, 2027.
Speculation has also centered around U.S. congressman Joe Wilson, a longtime Trump supporter whose son Alan Wilson handily beat Evette in a runoff for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, as a potential replacement for Graham. Wilson poured cold water on that suggestion, however, indicating he was inclined to “remain in the House.”
Some have suggested McMaster may appoint Graham’s adopted sister, Darline Graham Nordone.
As for the upcoming six-year U.S. Senate term, the S.C. Code of Laws (§ 7-11-55) dictates if a major party nominee dies after having been chosen in a partisan primary election, then “the vacancy must be filled in a special primary election.”
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RELATED | RALPH NORMAN WILL RUN
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“The filing period for this special primary election opens the second Tuesday after the death, disqualification, or approval of the resignation for one week,” the statute noted. “The special primary election then must be conducted on the second Tuesday immediately following the close of the filing period. A runoff, if necessary, must be held two weeks after the first primary. The nomination must be certified not less than two weeks before the date of the general election. If the nomination is certified two weeks or more before the date of the general election, that office is to be filled at the general election.”
That would put the date of a special primary election for Graham’s seat on August 11, 2026 – and the date of a potential runoff election on August 25, 2026.
The early favorite in such a special primary race, should he run, would likely be fifth district congressman Ralph Norman – who finished third in last month’s Republican gubernatorial election (but made a pivotal endorsement for Wilson in the GOP runoff election). S.C. first district congresswoman Nancy Mace might also be a name to watch in a rushed special election situation, as evidenced by early national media reports.
The winner of any special primary election would face Democrat Annie Andrews in the November 3, 2026 general election.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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SOUND OFF…
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11 comments
GOOD! Thank You, Lord! It is a happy day in South Carolina!
You’re disgusting to thank the Lord for someone’s death.
Lindsey Graham will be greatly missed. He served our state and nation passionately and effectively.
Former Senator Jim Demint would be a logical selection to fill the seat until January. He knows his way around Washington and could hit the ground running.
A Nank-obit
RIP Lindsey Graham.
He was predeceased years ago by his principles.
Memorials can be made to your favorite neocon warmonger.
Say what you want about Lindsey, like his predecessor, Ol’Strom, he deeply loved South Carolina. I worked with his staff on a number of issues from military to Medicare, they always understood that their job was their constituents. The National Advocacy Center was Lindsey taking care of South Carolina. SCANG, SCARNG, Shaw, Jackson, The Naval Weapons station all owe their continued vibrancy to his efforts.
The closeted senator from Ukraine will be sorely missed by the military industrial complex.
Check and I believe you will find that SC owes the National Advocacy Center, founded in 1998, not to Lindsay Graham but to the efforts of Senator “Fritz” Holings.
As is everything I, God willing and FITS permitting, post on this outlet, even THAT is about ME.
But it is NEVER about me as me. It is about my self-assigned efforts to spread science, preventive thinking, and real justice, and my courageous zeal to expose hypocrisy in politics, courts, and even Medicine.
My efforts are payments of debts, not to this country, but to God for the unique intellect He gave me, to my parents for the exquisite upbringing they gave me, and to my teachers in/from three continents.
But to some, it is more important to insult and discredit Dr. Marie Faltas than to take even literal life-saving ideas from her.
Get to the point, Marie, get to the point!
The point is: EVERY middle aged and older person with a medical and/or family history of, and/or risk factors for, coronary artery disease MUST get a prescription for sublingual nitroglycerine prn and ALWAYS, I mean always, carry on their person a vial of unexpired, undegraded-by-light-or-heat, NITROGLYCERINE SL “tabletitules” (they ARE tiny) when out doors. For home, every such person MUST, I mean must, have a vial in an unlit, non-humid, corner of every room, and outside every kitchen and bathroom because these rooms are inevitably warm and humid.
And every such person should learn his/her own harbingers of imminent coronary artery problems AND the discipline of not using sublingual nitroglycerine willy-nilly or else it loses its efficacy.
Nitroglycerine, sublingual or otherwise, would NOT have prevented Senator Graham’s aortic dissection IF that was the true cause of his death. BUT it COULD HAVE given him more time for until EMS’ arrival IF it was a coronary artery disease of the native arteries in the native heart like that which took the life of the senator’s father. (“Native” here means the one born with, not transplanted; it does NOT mean “Native American,” although, of course, this advice is good for every race.)
Mrs. Nordone shares half her brother’s genes and probably much of his environmental risk factors for coronary artery disease.
So, she and her staff should resist the knee jerk reflex to dismiss this as if it were about me, as is everything I, God willing and FITS permitting, post on this outlet.
It is NEVER about me as me.
It is about my self-assigned efforts to spread science, preventive thinking, and real justice, and my courageous zeal to expose hypocrisy in politics, courts, and even Medicine.
My efforts are payments of debts, not to this country, but to God for the unique intellect He gave me, to my parents for the exquisite upbringing they gave me, and to my teachers in/from three continents.
But to some, it is more important to insult and discredit Dr. Marie Faltas than to take even literal life-saving ideas from her.
Get to the point, Marie, get to the point!
The point is: EVERY middle aged and older person with a medical and/or family history of, and/or risk factors for, coronary artery disease MUST get a prescription for sublingual nitroglycerine prn and ALWAYS, I mean always, carry on their person a vial of unexpired, undegraded-by-light-or-heat, NITROGLYCERINE SL “tabletitules” (they ARE tiny) when out doors. For home, every such person MUST, I mean must, have a vial in an unlit, non-humid, corner of every room, and outside every kitchen and bathroom because these rooms are inevitably warm and humid.
And every such person should learn his/her own harbingers of imminent coronary artery problems AND the discipline of not using sublingual nitroglycerine willy-nilly or else it loses its efficacy.
Nitroglycerine, sublingual or otherwise, would NOT have prevented Senator Graham’s aortic dissection IF that was the true cause of his death. BUT it COULD HAVE given him more time for until EMS’ arrival IF it was a coronary artery disease of the native arteries in the native heart like that which took the life of the senator’s father. (“Native” here means the one born with, not transplanted; it does NOT mean “Native American,” although, of course, this advice is good for every race.)
My condolences to Ratheon, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, who were like children to him.
Yes, we have the 1A, but the 1A doesn’t give you a pass to be a jerk and be a nasty person celebrating the death of someone you don’t agree with. Anyone celebrating and happy about someone dying is disgusting. I strongly suggest going to church and repenting before your “time” comes.