Sun 12 Jul 2026 at 4:44pmSun 12 Jul 2026 at 4:44pmLindsey Graham was a prominent Republican senator representing South Carolina. (Reuters: Kenny Holston/The New York Times/Pool)US senator Lindsey Graham died on Saturday evening local time after a "brief and ‌sudden illness", his office said in a statement.Mr Graham, ‌71, was a ⁠prominent ‌Republican senator from ‌South Carolina."Senator Graham's family ‌appreciates prayers at ‌this time and ⁠asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period," his ⁠office said.Mr Graham was elected to the US Senate in 2002.Before serving ‌in the upper house, he was elected to the House of Representatives ⁠in 1994 for ‌South Carolina's third congressional district, ‌according to his website.Earlier in his career, he was a vocal critic of ‌US President Donald Trump before becoming one ⁠of his most loyal allies on Capitol ‌Hill.A defence hawk, his website ‌said he had "consistently pushed for outcomes in the War on Terror that ‌protect our long-term national ⁠security interests".Mr Graham recently served as chairman of the Senate Budget Committee.He also served as a member of the Senate Committee ⁠on Appropriations, Senate Judiciary Committee and Senate Committee on Environment and ‌Public Works.Mr Graham was not married and lived in Seneca, South Carolina.Reuters