Sen. Lindsey Graham , R-S.C., has passed away, his office said Sunday. "On the evening of Saturday, July 11, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham passed away from a brief and sudden illness," Graham's office said in a statement on X. Graham, a prominent Republican and ally of President Donald Trump , was 71. "Senator Graham's family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period," his office added. Graham had just returned from a trip to Ukraine. A spokeswoman for Graham, when reached by MS NOW, had no additional information on the circumstances of his passing and said more information would become available in the coming days. Graham had spoken with reporters in Kyiv on Friday, speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about U.S. sanctions against Russia and Ukraine's air defenses, Reuters reported . In a picture released by Zelenskyy's office accompanying the story, Graham is smiling while standing and shaking hands with the Ukrainian leader. Graham was a a senator for 23 years, having first been elected in 2002. He previously served in the U.S. House, having been elected as part of an influential class of Republicans in 1994. His long tenure gave him seats on powerful committees, most recently chairing the Senate Budget Committee and serving on the Appropriations, Judiciary and Environment and Public Works committees. He had been running for reelection for a fifth six-year term in a safe Republican seat. Under South Carolina law , South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has until Jan. 3, 2027, to fill Graham's seat. Graham was scheduled to appear on "Meet the Press" Sunday morning. Host Kristen Welker said in a Facebook post it would have been Graham's 64th appearance on the NBC show and said Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would join instead to reflect on the senator's "life and legacy." Graham's sudden death leaves Republicans without a crucial Senate vote in the months until his seat can be filled. Coupled with Kentucky Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell's extended medical absence, it could hamstring Trump's priorities in the months leading up to the 2026 midterm elections. Prior to Graham's death, Republicans held a narrow, 53-47 majority. Trump has led a pressure campaign in recent months to get the Senate to pass a controversial election bill, dubbed the SAVE America Act, that would require photo identification for voters to cast a ballot and proof of citizenship to register. The bill advanced out of the House earlier this year, but has stalled in the Senate. Graham was a co-sponsor of the legislation and a leading advocate for its passage on the Hill. His death complicates an already murky path forward for the election bill. Graham became a close ally of the president's on the Hill, though he initially resisted the Trump's rise. During the 2016 presidential election, when both men were vying for the Republican nomination, Graham called Trump "unfit for office." Trump, in return, called Graham a "nut job." "If we nominate Trump, we will get...
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