Senate returns without Lindsey Graham as South Carolina begins choosing a successor

When senators return to Capitol Hill this morning, they will do so without one of the

chamber's most recognizable faces and voices. South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham's sudden

death is now shifting from a weekend of tributes to questions about who fills his seat and what

his absence means for Republicans. Flags remain at half-staff across Washington after Graham

died Saturday night. His spokesman says preliminary findings from the D.C. medical examiner

show he died from an aortic dissection caused by arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease

The 71-year-old had returned from Ukraine just hours earlier, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelensky and continued pushing for stronger U.S. support against Russia

On Truth Social, President Trump called Graham a true American patriot, while former President Biden remembered a senator who often disagreed with him

but never lost his commitment to public service. Senator Chris Coons of Delaware was a friend and was traveling with Graham in Turkey

Over dinner to celebrate his birthday in Ankara we were talking about how unlikely it was that either of us would end up senators His childhood was hard He was orphaned at a young age and he never imagined he be a

United States senator. He was in a good mood, having just won his primary, and he was very

focused on Ukraine. We had met with President Zelensky earlier that day, and it was a great

meeting. The political focus now shifts to South Carolina. Governor Henry McMaster will appoint

someone to serve the remainder of Graham's term through January. At the same time, Republicans

must quickly choose a new nominee for the November midterm election as Graham was up for re-election

and was seeking a sixth term. Congressman Ralph Norman is expected to announce this week whether

he will run, while Congressman Nancy Mace is also considering a bid. President Trump says he already

has a preferred candidate in mind, but told NBC, it's too soon to say who

I have somebody that I think would be great, but I don't want to say it now because it's

too soon with Lindsey. I don't want to even talk about anybody, but I do have somebody

that I think is really good