RIP Lindsey Graham, the Senate’s happiest warrior

The Senate lost an accomplished legislator with the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and the nation lost a happy warrior. Whether the issue was national security or criminal justice reform, Graham was not only a principled advocate for his beliefs and constituents, but also a gifted deal-maker who knew how and when to reach across the aisle in search of bipartisan agreement. He was a rare political talent, and his experience and temperament will be missed in the halls of Congress.

Graham’s true passion was foreign policy, and he leaves behind a record of recognizing the gravest threats to America and using his power as a senator to steer U.S. policy in a stronger direction.

Graham understood that China’s rise posed a military, economic, and ideological challenge to the United States. He pressed administrations of both parties to confront Beijing’s theft of American technology and predatory trade practices, supported tariffs and export controls, and warned that weakness elsewhere would encourage China to move against Taiwan. He backed defense measures that strengthened the American presence in the Indo-Pacific and armed Taiwan, then led a bipartisan Senate delegation to Taipei after Russia invaded Ukraine to warn Beijing that aggression would carry consequences.

Graham was equally resolute in supporting Ukraine against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, he helped secure military aid for Kyiv while replenishing depleted American weapons stockpiles. He supported transferring confiscated Russian assets to Ukraine and worked across the aisle to penalize countries helping finance Putin’s war. His final major legislative effort, the bipartisan Sanctioning Russia Act, drew more than 80 Senate co-sponsors and proposed sweeping sanctions and secondary tariffs on nations purchasing Russian energy.

He brought the same determination to confronting Iran and defending Israel. He opposed the Obama administration’s nuclear agreement, pushed for strict enforcement of sanctions on Tehran, and proposed penalties against countries purchasing Iranian oil. As the senior Republican responsible for overseeing foreign-assistance spending, he also helped secure military aid for Israel, fund Iron Dome and other missile-defense systems, and provide emergency assistance following attacks by Iran and its terrorist proxies.

Graham also left a lasting mark on the federal judiciary. His defining moment came during Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing, when he denounced the partisan attempt to destroy a qualified nominee with utterly uncorroborated allegations of sexual assault. Later, as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Graham helped shepherd Trump’s nominees through the Senate as the administration surpassed 200 confirmed federal judges, culminating in Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation to the Supreme Court.

As chairman of the Senate Budget Committee in 2025, Graham guided Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act through the reconciliation process despite narrow Republican margins. The final bill made the 2017 tax cuts permanent, funded border enforcement and national defense, expanded domestic energy production, raised the debt ceiling, and imposed new spending restraints and Medicaid work requirements.

Yet, Graham was not merely a partisan combatant. In 2005, he helped broker the Gang of 14 agreement, securing votes for several judicial nominees of President George W. Bush while averting a showdown over the filibuster. He later helped advance the bipartisan First Step Act, which expanded rehabilitation programs and reduced some federal sentences. He also worked with Democrats on immigration, national security, gun legislation, and sanctions against Russia.

AMERICA IS BUILDING AGAIN, THANKS TO THE SUPREME COURT

Graham’s bipartisan work on guns and immigration, especially his advocacy for amnesty, often angered conservatives, but he remained consistent in applying his principles. He never confused loyalty to his party with an obligation to surrender his own judgment.

That independence could make Graham frustrating, unpredictable, and sometimes wrong, but it also made him consequential. He relished political combat without allowing it to consume his good humor or affection for his colleagues. The Senate will find other conservatives, foreign-policy hawks, and bipartisan negotiators. It will be much harder to find another senator who combined all three roles with Graham’s energy, courage, and unmistakable joy.