WASHINGTON — Sen. Darline Graham joined the U.S. Senate Tuesday, temporarily filling the seat of her late brother, Lindsey Graham. 

Darline Graham was sworn in just a day after South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed her, as a Republican, to serve out the remainder of her brother’s term. President Donald Trump recommended her to fill Lindsey Graham’s seat hours before the governor’s appointment.   

Lindsey Graham died unexpectedly this weekend from an aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, according to preliminary findings from the medical examiner of the District of Columbia released by the senator’s office. 

Lindsey Graham served in the U.S. Senate for more than two decades and had just returned from Ukraine before his death.

Iowa GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley, the president pro tempore of the Senate, swore in Darline Graham. Grassley joined Darline Graham and her family in the Old Senate Chamber for a reenactment of the swearing-in shortly after. 

Darline Graham leads the South Carolina Commission for the Blind. She is the first woman to represent the Palmetto State in the U.S. Senate. 

She will serve alongside South Carolina GOP Sen. Tim Scott until January when Lindsey Graham’s term ends. 

Lindsey Graham in June secured the GOP primary in his bid for a fifth Senate term. 

A special GOP primary will take place Aug. 11 to determine whose name will appear on the November ballot, with a runoff slated for Aug. 25, if needed. 

The winner of that primary will be up against Democratic candidate Dr. Annie Andrews. 

Wisconsin Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson is set to take up the gavel as chairman of the Senate Budget Committee following the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) — giving Johnson significant sway over federal spending decisions as President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans push to pass a third budget bill before this fall’s midterm elections. 

Johnson, the fourth most senior Republican on the budget committee, is in line to get the position because Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) already chair the Judiciary and Finance committees and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) is on his way out of the Senate after losing his May primary. 

In a statement, Johnson’s office said he would focus on working with the House and White House to determine what is possible to include in a budget reconciliation bill in the limited time before November. 

“Senator Johnson supports drafting and passing Reconciliation 3.0, and he will work diligently with all the relevant parties in the Senate, House, and White House to determine what is possible to achieve,” Johnson spokesperson Grace Carnathan said. 

The push for a third reconciliation bill includes Trump’s proposed $350 billion in additional money for  the Pentagon during the ongoing war in Iran. Johnson also said he’s working with Wisconsin Republican U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil to sidestep the filibuster and push through the SAVE America Act, imposing new restrictions on voting, through the budget reconciliation process, Politico reported. 

Johnson told the outlet that despite not officially having the gavel yet, he’s working to get ready for the job. 

“I’ve already met with Lindsey’s staff this afternoon,” he said Monday about picking up where Graham’s effort left off. 

Since being elected to the Senate for the first time in 2010, Johnson has promoted an image of himself as a budget hawk devoted to shrinking the size of the federal government. He’s also regularly supported Republican tax cut bills while using his platform to spread his anti-vaccine beliefs, climate change denial and support for Republican conspiracy theories about election administration. 

“Johnson is likely to do as much as he can to cut government spending in the remaining months of 2026,” Barry Burden, a professor of political science at UW-Madison, told the Examiner. “His party is very likely to lose control of the House and possibly the Senate, ending the opportunity to use the streamlined budget reconciliation process to enact cuts when the new Congress is seated in early 2027.”

Burden added that Johnson will “probably be more aggressive” about reducing federal spending, adding restrictions on voting and expanding the healthcare cuts made in last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. 

“Without a reelection of his own to worry about in Wisconsin, Johnson has the freedom to devote himself to being a budget warrior in the waning days of the Republican trifecta,” Burden said. 

In recent months, Johnson has endorsed calls from some Republicans and Trump to end the Senate’s filibuster rules,  which require that non-budget legislation receive 60 votes to pass, in order to push through the SAVE America Act. Johnson said at the Republican Party of Wisconsin convention in May that Republicans should nix the filibuster now to preempt Democrats doing so if and when they get control of Congress and the White House. 

Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat, said in a statement she hopes Johnson uses the role to help Wisconsinites rather than focusing on slashing government services.

“Senator Ron Johnson and the budget committee greenlit the biggest cut to Medicaid and food assistance in history, all while increasing the national debt by $3.4 trillion over the next decade,” Baldwin said. “Now that he’s poised to take the gavel, I hope he will use this opportunity to deliver for the people of Wisconsin and help lower their costs moving forward – not deliver more cuts to Wisconsinites’ health care or spend more on this war in Iran.”

Jeff Mandell, general counsel of the voting rights focused firm Law Forward, said that given Johnson’s history of advocacy for harsh restrictions on voting and on behalf of Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, putting him in control of the budget committee is alarming. 

“The Save Act would interfere with long-standing and well functioning election laws in Wisconsin leading to disenfranchisement of Wisconsin voters,” Mandell said. 

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Monday he would like the South Carolina governor to select the late U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham’s sister to fill the Republican’s seat for the remainder of his term.

“I recommended, to Governor Henry McMaster, Lindsey Graham’s wonderful sister, Darline, to serve as interim Senator from the Great State of South Carolina,” Trump wrote in a social media post. “This would be a fabulous tribute to Lindsey, who loved her dearly!”

McMaster is scheduled to announce his appointment to the Senate at 4 p.m. Eastern during a press conference. The person selected for the role would serve out the remainder of Graham’s term through early January. Graham was close to his sister, Darline Graham Nordone, after their parents died when she was a teen.

South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott backed the suggestion, writing on social media that Nordone “would be a fantastic pick to serve out the reminder of the senate term.” 

“After speaking with Darline, there is no one better who understands Lindsey’s love for family, our state, and our country,” Scott wrote.

Graham, 71, died unexpectedly this weekend of an aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, according to preliminary findings from the District of Columbia’s medical examiner that were shared by Graham’s office. 

Graham’s death has also triggered a special election process in his home state to determine who will advance to the November general election for a full six-year Senate term. 

Graham won the Republican primary in June and was set to face Democratic candidate Annie Andrews later this year. 

The special election to determine which Republican will advance is scheduled for Aug. 11, with a runoff taking place on Aug. 25 if necessary. 

WASHINGTON  — U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham died on Saturday night of a “brief and sudden illness,” the South Carolina Republican’s office announced early Sunday.

“Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period,” the statement added.

Graham, who turned 71 on Thursday, was a close ally of President Donald Trump and chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. In June he defeated five Republican challengers in the Senate primary in South Carolina and was to face Democrat Annie Andrews in the general election. 

A statement shared with the media Sunday night by Graham’s office, citing the District of Columbia medical examiner, said he died following an aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease. According to the Mayo Clinic, an aortic dissection occurs when there is a tear in the inner layer of the aorta, the body’s main artery; blood rushes through the tear; and the inner and middle layers of the aorta split.

The statement also said Graham’s death certificate will be pending until all toxicological and microscopic testing is final.

Trump on social media called Graham “one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known.”

“He was always working, and was a true American Patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!! DETAILS AND ARRANGEMENTS TO FOLLOW. So sad!”

Graham, who had just returned from a visit to Ukraine, had been scheduled to appear on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday morning. Instead, Trump came on as a guest and told host Kristen Welker he spoke with Graham on Saturday night, “sometime in the sevens,” apparently not long before Graham died. “He was really a worker but he sounded great, actually,” Trump said, adding that Graham said he was “a little tired” after the trip overseas.

“I got a message about 1 o’clock in the morning from one of the people in his office that he had passed away,” said Trump. 

“He was a great politician actually,” said Trump, who had endorsed Graham. “There was nobody like him. He loved being a politician, and he was going to win his election, he was going to win it big.” 

Trump said if he “had a problem with a Democrat, he could work it out,” and added that Graham in their final conversation underlined his advocacy for the SAVE America Act, an elections bill stalled in the Senate.

Asked by Welker if he had anyone in mind who should be appointed to the seat, Trump said, “I have somebody that I think would be great, but I don’t want to say it now because … it’s too soon.”

Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, also on “Meet the Press,” said, “The entire state has lost a statesman. I have lost a friend.” He said he expected at least one or two U.S. House members from South Carolina would be considered for the appointment to Graham’s seat.

Former President Joe Biden, a Democratic member of the Senate from Delaware before his election to the presidency, said on social media he and Graham served together for more than a decade and worked closely on many issues as members of the Foreign Relations Committee. “We disagreed often, and sometimes loudly,” said Biden. “Lindsey and I did agree on the profound importance of public service. Like me, he loved the Senate as an institution, even with all its flaws and complexities.”

Trump said Sunday afternoon has has ordered all U.S. flags be lowered to half staff until July 18.

Return from Ukraine

Graham, the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs, while in Ukraine met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who posted photos of the two of them on X on Friday. “This is already his 10th visit to our country, and we appreciate this support,” Zelenskyy said then.

Early Sunday, Zelenskyy posted on social media: “Deeply saddened by the news of the passing of United States Senator Lindsey Graham. Lindsey was a true defender of freedom and the values that make our world safer.” He said they had met twice on Graham’s most recent visit.

Graham’s office did not provide additional details on the circumstances of his death. The Washington Post, citing police scanner audio, reported that emergency responders at Graham’s Washington, D.C., home worked to stabilize a man on Saturday night and transported the individual to a hospital.

NBC News reported that the response, according to emergency responders’ audio, was to a call for “cardiac arrest” and CPR was in progress. “Photographs from the scene reviewed by NBC News show paramedics carrying a person on a stretcher from Graham’s home to an awaiting ambulance. Police cars and fire trucks were also on site,” NBC said.

‘My heart is heavy’

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said in a statement “my heart is heavy” to learn of Graham’s death.

“Lindsey’s long and dedicated service in the Air Force and in Congress carried him to far-flung regions of the world,” Thune said. “He was a strong advocate for the United States and a strong ally to freedom-loving countries across the globe. He believed in the might of America to achieve good in the world and dedicated his life to advancing that cause.”

Graham, who was born in Central, S.C., first joined Congress in 1994 when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from the Third Congressional District. He was elected to the Senate in 2002 and reelected in 2008, 2014 and 2020.

He earned undergraduate and law degrees from the University of South Carolina and spent six-and-a-half years on active duty as an Air Force lawyer. He then served in the South Carolina Air National Guard and Air Force Reserves, according to his official biography, retiring at the rank of colonel in 2015.

Under the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the governor of a state must schedule an election to fill an empty Senate seat. South Carolina law says the governor can make an appointment to fill the Senate seat for the remainder of Graham’s term, which expires in January, according to the South Carolina Daily Gazette.

Also under South Carolina law, a special primary election must be held to select the next Republican nominee to the seat Graham held. The special primary is set for Aug. 11 with a runoff if needed on Aug. 25, the Daily Gazette reported.

The Democratic nominee for Senate, Andrews, expressed her condolences on X. “From his small-town South Carolina roots to the halls of the U.S. Senate, he was a man of great faith who proudly served our nation as a JAG officer and Air Force colonel,” she said. “I hope that South Carolinians will join me in setting partisanship aside and offering gratitude to Senator Lindsey Graham for his service to the great state of South Carolina.”

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said on social media he and his family were “devastated” by Graham’s death. “Lindsey Graham is irreplaceable,” he said. “The fiercest of fighters for South Carolina and America—and a loyal and steadfast friend.”

Narrow margin in Senate

Republicans control the Senate with 53 seats. Graham’s death came as concerns have mounted about the continuing absence of 84-year-old Sen. Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, whose office has said he has been hospitalized since June 14 for an undisclosed condition.

McConnell released a statement Sunday saying he fell before he was hospitalized and he has moved from being a hospital patient to “a rehabilitation center where I’ll keep regaining my strength.” 

Senators expressed their condolences to Graham’s family and praised his legacy after awakening Sunday to the unexpected news. “I’m shocked and saddened by the passing of my friend and colleague Senator Lindsey Graham,” said Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. “Lindsey was a lifelong public servant, a tireless champion for South Carolina, and an outspoken advocate for America’s role in protecting freedom throughout the world.”

Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, a Wyoming Republican, said Graham represented South Carolina and America “with pride and determination. He guided the Senate through our toughest battles while Chairman of both the Judiciary Committee and the Budget Committee. He carried the day with his mission clarity and steadfast leadership.”

Vice President JD Vance, a former GOP senator from Ohio, said on social media that Graham “came from humble beginnings and became one of the most powerful lawmakers in the most powerful nation on Earth,” and recalled a shouting match they once got into at a Senate lunch over a Ukraine funding bill. Vance said he then learned Graham was quietly pushing for rail legislation that Vance wanted. 

“That was Lindsey Graham. He fought like hell for the things he believed in, and he was just as willing to go to bat for you when it counted,” said Vance. “Lindsey had the best sense of humor in the Senate. He loved the game of politics. He was constantly asking which races were up and down, and how he could help. As he liked to say, ‘I don’t care if you’re an isolationist or a religious fanatic, so long as you have an R next to your name, I want you to win.’”