MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Early findings from the D.C. medical examiner show that Senator Lindsey Graham died from a tear in his aorta caused by heart disease. He was 71 years old.
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
The South Carolina Republican was a committed advocate of U.S. military intervention abroad and also a close ally of President Trump.
MARTIN: In a few minutes, we're going to speak with U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat who worked with Graham across party lines. But first, NPR Congress reporter Eric McDaniel is here to talk about the legacy Graham leaves behind. Good morning, Eric.
ERIC MCDANIEL, BYLINE: Hey.
MARTIN: So Graham served for more than 20 years in the U.S. Senate. What would you say he was known for?
MCDANIEL: I mean, he was one of the last standard-bearers of a bygone Republican idea that the U.S. should be the world's protector. He supported the U.S. military campaigns in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, as well as robust military aid for Ukraine and Israel. He, in fact, just returned from an overseas trip to bolster security relationships with U.S. allies. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Graham had visited the country 10 times since its war with Russia began.
MARTIN: And what would you say he was known for on domestic issues?
MCDANIEL: Well, as chair of the Judiciary Committee during Trump's first term, Graham shepherded the confirmations of scores of federal judges. He was instrumental in getting Trump's three Supreme Court nominees all the way to the bench. And last year, as chair of the Budget Committee, he successfully steered Trump's signature tax policy legislation - the One Big Beautiful Bill Act - through a briar patch of negotiations with his colleagues and Senate procedural staff to get the package across the finish line without any Democratic support. Not to mention, his close relationship with President Trump made him a key go-between in crucial moments, including publicly lobbying his Senate colleagues to acquit Trump on impeachment charges after the president attempted to remain in power despite losing the 2020 presidential election.
MARTIN: Well, let's go back for a minute. How did he get into politics to begin with?
MCDANIEL: According to his campaign biography, Graham was born in the town of Central, South Carolina, and lived in a single room with his family adjoining his parents' bar, liquor store and pool house. His parents died when he was still in school, and he became his sister's primary caretaker. He eventually adopted her. After finishing law school, Graham served six years' active duty in the Air Force before entering politics. He remained in the South Carolina Air National Guard and then the Air Force Reserves until 2015, so that's more than three decades of military service. And it's a story he told a lot when he was seeking the GOP presidential nomination in 2016.
MARTIN: Right. That's a little-known chapter. I don't think many people remember that.
MCDANIEL: Yeah.
MARTIN: So what do we know about who might replace him in the Senate?
MCDANIEL: The state's Republican governor - South Carolina's Republican governor - will appoint someone to serve for the remainder of this year. In early August, a special Republican primary election will be held to decide on a Republican general election candidate for November, and the winner will go on to face Democrat Annie Andrews in the general election come November. They'll be sworn in in January.
MARTIN: So, you know, Republican control of the Senate was already so narrow. One of - Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell has been hospitalized for several weeks. We now hear that he's in a rehab facility. How does Graham's death and McConnell's absence affect their ability to implement their agenda?
MCDANIEL: Look, as Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune says, the Senate is bound by arithmetic. And they already had thin margins on top of a gaggle of defectors in the Republican conference who are on their way out the door and frustrated with the president. Graham was a key figure in moving legislation through the chamber. And while Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell says he's been moved to this rehab facility and is regaining strength, he says he can't return to the Senate to vote quite yet, which is going to leave some thin margins.
MARTIN: That is NPR Congress reporter Eric McDaniel. Eric, thank you.
MCDANIEL: Thanks, Michel. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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