USA16 July, 20262 min read
Lindsey Graham Dies After Aortic Tear, Preliminary Medical Examiner Finding Says
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Lindsey Graham died at age 71. South Carolina Republican senator for over 30 years.
Graham’s sudden death
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham died suddenly on July 11, likely due to a tear in his aorta, according to a preliminary medical examiner finding shared by Graham’s office.
The Dayton Daily News report says Graham had turned 71 years old just two days before dying on July 11 due to an aortic dissection.
The same article describes an aortic dissection as “a tear in the inner layer of the aorta,” and says blood surges through the tear, causing the layers of the aortic wall to separate.
It adds that as many as 40% of people with an aortic dissection die almost instantly from the aorta rupturing, and that the risk of death increases by 1% to 4% for every hour the condition goes untreated.
Who inherits the seat
Three days after Graham’s death, his sister Darline Graham Nordone was sworn in on Tuesday to fill his vacant Senate seat at the suggestion of United States President Donald Trump. South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster introduced the new senator as Graham’s “darling little sister” who would “finish his work for him now”.
Al Jazeera also reports that Graham had died unmarried and without children, and that Nordone has never held elected office. In brief remarks during the announcement of her appointment on Monday, Nordone said, “I promise to work hard over the next several months to support the president and carry forward the efforts of my brother on behalf of the citizens of South Carolina and the United States.”
Israel and Washington stakes
Politico magazine, citing a report by Nahal Toosi, said Graham’s death left Israel facing a major challenge in Washington and described his departure as “the strongest blow to Israel’s efforts to persuade the United States to continue its military campaign against Iran.”
“I can't die now. I still need to do the Russia sanctions, get Iran sorted out and do Israeli-Saudi normalization.”
The same source says Graham was a leading supporter of Israel who backed weapons deals with the United States and attempted to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia, and it quotes an analyst saying, “Israelis have long understood that Lindsey was seeking to embed Israel in the region and counter Iranian influence.”
Reason Magazine frames Graham’s death as the end of an era of interventionist foreign policy, noting that in the hours before he died he reportedly joked, “I can't die now. I still need to do the Russia sanctions, get Iran sorted out and do Israeli-Saudi normalization.”
It also reports that Zelenskyy said, “Deeply saddened by the news of the passing of United States Senator Lindsey Graham,” and that NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called Graham “a powerful advocate for America who believed strongly in the NATO Alliance.”