Two days before his passing, Lindsey Graham was answering questions from reporters in the sweltering summer heat while standing next to a display of destroyed Russian military vehicles in central Kyiv. It was his tenth trip to Ukraine during the conflict. He met with President Zelenskyy on Friday and reported developments regarding a package of sanctions against Russia. He called Donald Trump from his Capitol Hill residence on Saturday night, sounding, according to the president, a little worn out but otherwise flawless. A cardiac arrest call was being routed to the same address by emergency dispatchers hours later.
Within a day, the District of Columbia’s medical examiner arrived with the preliminary diagnosis: arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease-related aortic dissection. To put it simply, the body’s primary artery, the aorta, had a tear in its inner wall that had been weakened over time by hardened arteries. Sudden death is described by medical professionals as being extremely quick and often silent until it isn’t. Although toxicological and microscopic testing are still pending, the general situation appears to be resolved. Only two days had passed since his 71st birthday.
The fact that Graham never seemed to be winding down is what makes the death so confusing, at least for those who witnessed him in action. He had recently secured the Republican nomination for a fifth term in the Senate by winning a contested primary in June. During a time of party-line, narrow-margin legislation, he was chairing the Budget Committee. The very next morning, he was scheduled to appear on Meet the Press, a show on which he had made 63 appearances. According to a senior assistant, he showed no signs of illness. It’s difficult to ignore how well the man’s schedule concealed the condition of his arteries.
Both predictable and unexpected sources contributed to the tributes. Trump referred to Graham as one of the best senators he had ever met and gave the order for flags to be half-staffed for a week. Prior to their unlikely alliance hardening into true friendship, Trump and Graham had a bitter feud. His understanding of America’s role in the world was commended by George W. Bush. Netanyahu claimed Israel had lost one of its closest allies, while Zelenskyy referred to him as a defender of freedom. From the “Three Amigos” period with John McCain and Joe Lieberman to his subsequent position as Trump’s most tenacious foreign policy whisperer, the scope of the mourning speaks to a career based more on relationships than ideology.
As is always the case in politics, things moved swiftly. Governor Henry McMaster had the authority to designate a temporary successor under South Carolina law, and in the end, Graham’s sister Darline—whom he legally guarded at the age of 21 after both of their parents passed away within months of one another—was appointed to the position. That has an odd, almost novelistic symmetry, with the family narrative coming full circle at the conclusion. The November ballot will be decided by a special primary.
It is unlikely that Washington learns anything about medicine from this, but it might. People who appeared healthy at dinner are victims of aortic dissections. Graham’s passing serves as a reminder that arteriosclerosis can develop silently for decades, unaffected by committee gavels and campaign schedules, and that “tired but fine” may be the last thing anyone hears. Days later, the Senate resumed its work, one desk covered in black, its agenda suddenly unclear.
