The Republicans’ slim Senate majority just lost another key vote. That could have significant short-term implications, especially considering Mitch McConnell’s absence.
Lindsey Graham dies at age 71 after “a brief and sudden illness”
South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham died on July 11, according to his office. He was 71 years old.
WASHINGTON – Sen. Lindsey Graham’s sudden death over the weekend has increased the urgency for Sen. Mitch McConnell to return to work to ease the increasingly thin Republican vote majority in the Senate.
McConnell, 84, was hospitalized for a month, Graham died suddenly on Saturday, July 11, and Senate Republicans lost two key voting members.
South Carolina’s governor is expected to quickly appoint an interim replacement for Graham, who will serve until January. But Republicans may not have enough support to advance key legislative priorities (or block certain Democratic bills) until then, especially since McConnell’s final return date has not been set.
The Republican absence in the Senate has recently created a serious problem for President Donald Trump. Most notable was the passage of an almost symbolic condemnation of the Iran war. A similar vote could come in Congress again now that the conflict in the Middle East is escalating again due to the deterioration of President Trump’s peace deal. It may not be easy for Republicans to succeed in blocking them.
This fragile balance of power highlights just how narrow Congress’ margins are. As the midterm elections approach, every vote counts for Republican leaders in the Senate and House, and their political calculations will continue to increase the power of individual members to influence the larger agenda on Capitol Hill.
Graham’s office said in a statement that he died from a “short period of sudden illness.” Emergency workers said they were performing CPR on a man who had gone into cardiac arrest at an address listed as Graham’s Washington, D.C., home, according to public safety radio footage reviewed by USA TODAY. His cause of death had not yet been released as of Sunday afternoon. He was 71 years old.
McConnell was hospitalized on June 14th. The first publicly available emergency call indicated a person at the scene was unconscious. Another call a few minutes later revealed someone in cardiac arrest. Mr. McConnell’s office would not confirm or deny that he was involved in the call.
Since then, his office has provided few details about what exactly happened, saying only that he continues to improve and has had extensive phone conversations with Senate colleagues, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune, in recent days. Thune said in mid-June that he was “hopeful” that McConnell would return within a week. That was about a month ago.
Contributor: Chris Cann, USA TODAY
Zachary Schermele is USA TODAY’s Congressional Correspondent. You can email us at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and on Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social..
