Lindsey Olin Graham ( ; born July 9, 1955) is an American politician and attorney serving as the senior United States senator from South Carolina, a seat he has held since 2003. A member of the Republican Party, he chaired the Senate Committee on the Judiciary from 2019 to 2021. Graham served in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1993 to 1995 and in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003.

Born in Central, South Carolina, Graham earned both a Bachelor of Arts and a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina. Before entering politics, Graham served as a member of the Judge Advocate General's Corps in the U.S. Air Force from 1982 to 1988, working as a defense attorney and chief prosecutor in Europe. He later served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve while in Congress. He was awarded a Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service in 2014 and held the rank of colonel. He did not see combat action during his service. He was known for his willingness to work with Democrats on issues such as immigration reform, judicial nominations, and cap and trade. He ran for the Republican nomination in the 2016 U.S. presidential election but dropped out before the primaries began. Graham was a critic of the Tea Party movement, particularly over taxation and immigration, and an outspoken critic of Donald Trump's 2016 candidacy. Graham is running for reelection in 2026.

Early life

Lindsey Olin Graham was born in Central, South Carolina, where his parents, Millie (Walters) and Florence James "F.J." Graham, ran a restaurant/bar/pool hall/liquor store, the Sanitary Cafe. His family is of Scots-Irish descent. After graduating from D. W. Daniel High School, Graham became the first member of his family to attend college, and joined the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. When he was 21, his mother died of Hodgkin's lymphoma, aged 52, and his father died 15 months later of a heart attack, aged 69. During his studies, he became a member of the Pi Kappa Phi social fraternity.

He graduated from the University of South Carolina with a B.A. in psychology in 1977, and from the University of South Carolina School of Law with a J.D. in 1981.

Military service

thumb|right|Graham being robed as a judge for the Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals, November 2003|upright

Upon graduating from the University of South Carolina School of Law, Graham was commissioned as an officer in the Judge Advocate General's Corps (JAG Corps) in the United States Air Force in 1982 and began active duty that year. His duty began with a stint as an Air Force defense attorney, after which he was transferred to Rhein-Main Air Base in Frankfurt, Germany, where from 1984 to 1988 he was the Air Force's chief prosecutor in Europe. In 1984, as he was defending an Air Force pilot accused of using marijuana, he was featured in an episode of 60 Minutes that exposed the Air Force's defective drug-testing procedures. After his service in Europe, he returned to South Carolina, leaving active duty in 1989

thumb|right|Lt. Gen. [[Jack L. Rives pins the Meritorious Service Medal on Colonel Lindsey Graham, April 2009.]]

After leaving the Air Force, Graham joined the South Carolina Air National Guard in 1989, where he served until 1995, then joining the U.S. Air Force Reserve.

During the 1990–1991 Gulf War, Graham was recalled to active duty, serving as a judge advocate at McEntire Air National Guard Station in Eastover, South Carolina, where he helped brief departing pilots on the laws of war. In 1998, the Capitol Hill daily newspaper The Hill contended that Graham was describing himself on his website as an Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm veteran. Graham responded: "I have not told anybody I'm a combatant. I'm not a war hero, and never said I was. ... If I have lied about my military record, I'm not fit to serve in Congress", further noting that he "never deployed".

In 1998, Graham was promoted to lieutenant colonel. In 2004, he received his promotion to colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserve at a White House ceremony officiated by President George W. Bush.

In 2007, Graham served in Iraq as a reservist on active duty for a short period in April and for two weeks in August, where he worked on detainee and rule-of-law issues. He also served in Afghanistan during the August 2009 Senate recess. He was then assigned as a senior instructor at the Judge Advocate General's School, though he never went. In 2015, he retired at his last rank of colonel from the Air Force with over 33 total years of service, after reaching the statutory retirement age of 60 for his rank. Graham earned points toward a military pension but was unpaid as an Air Force officer while a congressman and senator as he was ineligible for a military paycheck during his time in federal government service.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

In 1994, 20-year incumbent Democratic U.S. congressman Butler Derrick of South Carolina's northwestern-based 3rd congressional district decided to retire. Graham ran to succeed him and, with Republican U.S. senator Strom Thurmond campaigning on his behalf, won the Republican primary with 52% of the vote, defeating Bob Cantrell (33%) and Ed Allgood (15%). In the general election, Graham defeated Democratic State Senator James Bryan Jr., 60% to 40%.

In 1996, he was challenged by Debbie Dorn, the niece of Butler Derrick and daughter of Derrick's predecessor, 13-term Democratic congressman William Jennings Bryan Dorn. Graham was reelected, defeating Dorn 60% to 40%. In 1998, he was reelected to a third term unopposed. In 2000, he was reelected to a fourth term, defeating Democratic nominee George Brightharp, 68% to 30%.

Tenure

In 1997, Graham took part in a leadership challenge against House Speaker Newt Gingrich. This was an early effort to impeach Clinton, predating the eruption of the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal. The eruption of that scandal ultimately led to a more serious effort to impeach Clinton in 1998. On October 8, 1998, Graham voted in favor of legislation to open an impeachment inquiry. He was a member of the Judiciary Committee, which conducted the inquiry. In both the Judiciary Committee vote on forwarding proposed articles of impeachment, and the full House vote on the proposed articles of impeachment, Graham voted for three of the four proposed articles of impeachment. He voted against the second count of perjury in the Paula Jones case. This made him the only Republican on the Judiciary Committee to vote against any of the proposed articles of impeachment.

Committee assignments

During his service in the House, Graham served on the following committees:

  • Committee on International Relations (1995–1998)
  • Committee on Education and the Workforce (1995–2002)
  • Committee on the Judiciary (1997–2002)
  • Committee on Armed Services (1999–2002)

U.S. Senate

thumb|Graham in 2006

Elections

2002

In 2002, longtime U.S. senator Strom Thurmond decided to retire. Graham ran to succeed him and won the Republican primary unopposed. In the general election, he defeated Democratic nominee Alex Sanders, the former president of the College of Charleston and former chief judge of the South Carolina Court of Appeals, 600,010 votes (54%) to 487,359 (44%). Graham thus became South Carolina's first new U.S. senator since Fritz Hollings in 1966.

2008

When Graham ran for a second term in 2008, he was challenged in the Republican primary by National Executive Committeeman of the South Carolina Republican Party, Buddy Witherspoon. Graham defeated him by 186,398 votes (66.82%) to 92,547 (33.18%), winning all but one of South Carolina's 46 counties. He then defeated the Democratic nominee, pilot and engineer Bob Conley, in the general election, 1,076,534 votes (57.53%) to 790,621 (42.25%), having outspent Conley by $6.6 million to $15,000.

2014

Of the Republican senators up for reelection in 2014, Graham was considered one of the most vulnerable to a primary challenge, largely due to his low approval ratings and reputation for working with and compromising with Democrats. He expected a primary challenge from conservative activists, including the Tea Party movement, and Chris Chocola, President of the Club for Growth, said his organization would support a primary challenge if an acceptable standard-bearer emerged.

But a serious challenger to Graham failed to emerge, and he was widely viewed as likely to win,

In the run-up to the Republican primary, Graham's approval rating improved. According to a February 2013 Winthrop poll, he had a 59% positive rating among likely Republican voters. Graham won the June 10 primary with 178,833 votes (56.42%). His nearest challenger, State Senator Lee Bright, received 48,904 (15.4%).

Graham won the general election, defeating the Democratic nominee, State Senator Brad Hutto, 54% to 39%. Independent Thomas Ravenel (a former Republican State Treasurer) and Libertarian Victor Kocher received 3.8% and 2.7% of the vote, respectively.

2020

Democrat Jaime Harrison challenged Graham in the 2020 Senate election. The race was unexpectedly competitive, with many polls in the last few months of the race showing it as very close. Harrison also had record fundraising numbers. Despite this, Graham defeated Harrison by more than ten percentage points, 54.4% to 44.2%, in the November 3 general election.

2026

On January 14, 2025, Graham announced lead officials for his 2026 reelection campaign, including the former chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party and Governor Henry McMaster's campaign manager. He reported $15.6 million in campaign fundraising.

On March 26, 2025, it was reported that President Donald Trump endorsed Graham.

Committee assignments

In November 2018, Senator Chuck Grassley, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced that he would become chair of the Senate Finance Committee, and that Graham would take his place as chair of the Judiciary Committee, pending his formal selection by colleagues.

thumb|right|Graham and President [[George W. Bush visit Charleston Air Force Base in 2007.]]

thumb|upright=1.36|U.S. secretary of defense [[Ash Carter and senators Joni Ernst, Dan Sullivan, John McCain, Tom Cotton, Lindsey Graham, and Cory Gardner attending the 2016 International Institute for Strategic Studies Asia Security Summit in Singapore]]

Current

  • Committee on Appropriations
  • Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on Defense
  • Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
  • Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (former ranking member)
  • Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
  • Committee on Environment and Public Works
  • Subcommittee on Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice and Regulatory Oversight
  • Clean Air, Climate and Nuclear Safety
  • Transportation and Infrastructure
  • Committee on the Budget (chairman, 2025–present; ranking member, 2021–2023)
  • Committee on the Judiciary (chairman, 2019–2021; ranking member, 2023–2025)
  • Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights
  • Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights
  • Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism
  • Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law

Previous

  • Committee on Armed Services (2003–2019)
  • Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (2003–2005)
  • Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry (2007–2009)
  • Select Committee on Intelligence (2007–2009)
  • Committee on Veterans' Affairs (2007–2011)
  • Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (2009–2011)
  • Special Committee on Aging (2009–2013)
  • Committee on Foreign Relations (2019–2021)

Caucus memberships

  • Congressional Caucus on Turkey and Turkish Americans
  • International Conservation Caucus
  • Senate National Guard Caucus (Co-chair)
  • Sportsmen's Caucus
  • Senate Oceans Caucus
  • Senate Taiwan Caucus

Graham is a member of the board of directors of the International Republican Institute.

Relationship with Donald Trump

thumb|Graham and [[Donald Trump in January 2019]]

In July 2015, when Graham was a presidential candidate, he called Donald Trump, then another presidential candidate, a "jackass" for saying that Graham's close friend, Senator John McCain, was "not a war hero". Trump reacted by calling Graham an "idiot" and revealing Graham's personal cellphone number at a campaign rally, asking people to call Graham.

In December 2015, Trump, the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, called for a ban on Muslims entering the United States. Graham, who had very little support as a presidential candidate, responded: "He's a race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot ... He doesn't represent my [Republican] party ... I don't think he has a clue about anything ... He is empowering radical Islam ... You know how you make America great again? Tell Donald Trump to go to hell." He added, "I'd rather lose without Donald Trump than try to win with him."

In May 2016 Graham tweeted, "If we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed...and we will deserve it."

In June 2016, after Trump criticized a judge of Mexican heritage, implying he could be biased, Graham said to CNN: "I don't think [Trump is] racist but he's playing the race card ... I think it's very un-American ... If he continues this line of attack then I think people really need to reconsider the future of the [Republican] party." Graham told The New York Times that that incident "is probably it" for anyone looking to withdraw their support of Trump: "There'll come a time when the love of country will trump hatred of Hillary Clinton", the Democratic nominee for president.

In the November presidential election, Graham did not vote for Trump, saying, "I couldn't go where Donald Trump wanted to take the USA & GOP." He voted for independent candidate Evan McMullin.

In March 2017, Graham held a meeting with Trump. Graham said that the meeting went so well that he passed his new phone number to Trump, in reference to their 2015 conflict. In October 2017, Graham and Trump played golf together on multiple occasions, with Graham praising the first outing. In November 2017, Graham criticized the media's reporting on Trump: "What concerns me about the American press is this endless, endless attempt to label the guy some kind of kook not fit to be president." (In February 2016, Graham said of Trump: "I think he's a kook. I think he's crazy. I think he's unfit for office.")

In April 2018, Graham said that he would support Trump's reelection in 2020. In January 2019, Graham said that Republicans must support Trump's policies: "If we undercut the president, that's the end of his presidency and the end of our party."

thumb|Graham joins President Donald Trump for swearing-in of recently confirmed Attorney General [[William Barr on February 14, 2019.]]

In February 2019 Mark Leibovich interviewed Graham for The New York Times Magazine. He asked Graham how he became a prominent Trump supporter. Graham responded that he was attempting "to be relevant": "I've got an opportunity up here working with the president to get some really good outcomes for the country ... I have never been called this much by a president in my life ... He's asked me to do some things, and I've asked him to do some things in return." Graham said he had been gaining influence with Trump and was attempting to enter Trump's inner circle, where he would reach a level of influence on par with Melania Trump, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner. He said that he had had a "political marriage" with John McCain, but as for his relationship with Trump: "I personally like him. We play golf. He's very nice to me." Graham also said that a good relationship with Trump would help his prospects of reelection to the Senate in 2020.

Seven months after the death of McCain, one of Graham's "dearest friends", Trump repeatedly criticized McCain. Graham was then criticized for not standing up for McCain. Graham responded, "To all those people who bring up this narrative, you just hate Trump ... You're not offended about me and McCain; you're trying to use me to get to Trump ... I'm not into this idea that the only way to honor John McCain is to trash out Trump." He also said, "The bottom line here is I'm going to help President Trump." McCain had banned Trump from his funeral. Trump's daughter Ivanka attended his funeral, reportedly at the invitation of Graham, who had reportedly gotten McCain's wife's permission. According to Graham, Trump called him after he delivered an emotional farewell to McCain on the Senate floor, telling him he "did right by his friend."

On May 14, 2019, Graham came under scrutiny, including from Senator Joe Manchin, after encouraging Donald Trump Jr. to ignore a subpoena delivered by the Senate Intelligence Committee.

In July 2019, Graham said he did not think Trump was racist and that he did not think that Trump's statements that certain Democratic congresswomen should "go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came" were racist. Graham said, "I don't think a Somali refugee embracing Trump would be asked to go back. If you're racist, you want everybody to go back because they are black or Muslim." Earlier in August 2018, The Washington Post reported that Graham had said, "I have never heard him make a single racist statement. Not even close."

On October 8, 2019, during an interview with Jonathan Swan of Axios, Graham condemned Trump's announcement of an intention to withdraw U.S. troops from northern Syria, saying that Trump was putting the nation and his presidency at risk, and that it was without the support of key national security advisers. Media noted Graham's reversals and Trump's apparent lack of appreciation for his advice.

In December 2019, as two articles of impeachment against Trump moved to a vote before the full House and referral to the Senate for trial, Graham said, "I am trying to give a pretty clear signal I have made up my mind. I'm not trying to pretend to be a fair juror here", adding, "this thing will come to the Senate, and it will die quickly, and I will do everything I can to make it die quickly." He also announced that he held "disdain for the accusations and the process. So I don't need any witnesses" for the Senate trial. In response, Democrats referenced statements Graham made during the 1998 impeachment of Bill Clinton, including his citation of Richard Nixon as proof that a president who ignored a subpoena should be impeached for taking "the power from Congress over the impeachment process away from Congress" and becoming "judge and jury" himself.

In April 2024, Graham criticized Trump for not supporting a federal abortion ban. In reply, Trump expressed regret for endorsing Graham in his 2020 Senate campaign.

In January 2025, Graham took issue with a series of Trump's first actions as president. Graham said it was "a mistake" for Trump to pardon criminal defendants who pleaded guilty to or were convicted of violent crimes during the January 6 attack on the Capitol, citing concerns about condoning violence and undermining support of law enforcement officers. Graham said Congress should "revisit" the scope of the presidential pardon power in light of the January 6 pardons and President Biden's pardons for his family members. Last, Graham defended Trump's decision to fire 17 Inspectors General, but criticized Trump for "technically" violating the law by not giving Congress 30 days' notice of the firings.

Reaction to 2020 presidential election results

Even after all major news networks projected that Joe Biden had won the 2020 United States presidential election, Graham said that Trump "should not concede" because "if Republicans don't challenge and change the U.S. election system, there will never be another Republican president elected again". Graham said he donated $500,000 to Trump's election lawsuits in various states, and that the option should be "on the table" for Republican state legislators to invalidate election results due to alleged "corruption" by appointing presidential electors who would vote for Trump.

After receiving an affidavit by Pennsylvania postal worker Richard Hopkins alleging that his postmaster discussed backdating mail ballots, Graham issued a statement that "all credible allegations of voting irregularities and misconduct be investigated to ensure the integrity of the 2020 elections", including Hopkins's. Hopkins's affidavit was released by Project Veritas, a controversial conservative organization known for using deceptive tactics; Project Veritas later released a recording in which Hopkins says that he did not hear his postmaster explicitly discuss backdating ballots, and that Project Veritas wrote his affidavit for him.

The 2020 United States presidential election in Georgia produced an initial count where Biden defeated Trump by around 14,000 votes, triggering a recount due to the small margin. During the recount, Graham privately called the Georgia Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger to discuss Georgia's vote counting. Raffensperger viewed Graham's question as a suggestion to throw out legally cast ballots. Graham denied suggesting this. He went on to claim that he had also spoken to Arizona's and Nevada's secretaries of state.

On January 6, 2021, Graham, Vice President Mike Pence, and members of the Senate and House were evacuated from the Capitol building after Trump supporters attacked the United States Capitol. The joint session of Congress reconvened late into the night and the early morning in the Senate chamber to count and confirm the Electoral College votes. Graham spoke, disagreeing with many of his Republican colleagues, who mostly supported Trump's denials of the election's results, saying, "it's a uniquely bad idea to delay this election", and though "I hate it", they could "count me out, enough is enough". He finished by saying, "Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are lawfully elected and will become the President and the Vice President of the United States on January the 20th."

In the resulting second impeachment trial of Donald Trump, Graham voted "not guilty".

On May 28, 2021, Graham voted against creating the January 6 commission.

In August 2021, The New York Times reported that Graham called Biden days after the election in an effort to revive their friendship and told Biden he had called for a special counsel investigation of Biden's son Hunter during the campaign only to appease Trump supporters among his constituents. A Graham spokesman disputed the Times<nowiki/>'s account.

2024 election

Graham appeared at Trump's first prime-time 2024 campaign rally on January 28, 2023, and told Fox News host Sean Hannity that he would support Trump "because I know what I'm going to get", mostly regarding perceived international threats. Graham campaigned and publicly advocated for Trump on news programs like Meet The Press throughout the 2024 election. He also called on other prominent Republican politicians to campaign for Trump.

In July 2024, after President Biden announced he would not seek reelection, Graham said he wished Biden well and that he "appreciate[d] his lifelong service to our nation".

In September 2024, with growing concern about a tie in the Electoral College, Graham visited Nebraska—one of two states without a winner-take-all vote allocation system. He lobbied Governor Jim Pillen to call a special session of the legislature to adopt the winner-take-all system, preventing Kamala Harris from receiving the state's one Electoral College vote typically won by Democrats. Trump endorsed the change. The move failed when too few state senators agreed to call a special session.

In October 2024, Graham said Republican voters who supported Harris were supporting "the most radical nominee in history of American politics". He argued that the Biden-Harris immigration policy was a larger "danger to this country" than Trump's rhetoric.

Graham called Trump's 2024 election victory "the biggest comeback in American history".

Political positions

thumb|Senators [[Joe Biden and Lindsey Graham with Iraq's interim prime minister Allawi, inside the Green Zone of Baghdad, June 19, 2004]]

Tea Party opponents have called Graham a "moderate Republican." He voted to confirm both of President Obama's Supreme Court nominees, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. For his part, Graham has criticized and confronted the Tea Party, arguing for a more inclusive Republican Party.

Personal life

Graham helped raise his sister, Darline Graham Nordone, after the deaths of his mother and father, which occurred within 15 months of each other, leaving the two without parents when Graham was 22 and she was 13. Graham has said that his parents' early deaths made him mature more quickly, and Nordone, who introduced her brother at his 2016 announcement of his candidacy for president, said she hoped to be with him on the campaign trail frequently to show voters his softer side. "He's kind of like a brother, a father and a mother rolled into one," she said. "I've always looked up to Lindsey."

Having never married or had children,

During a 2025 deposition, Laura Loomer testified under oath that Graham was gay, saying that members of President Trump's staff had told her this in confidence. Graham has denied being gay.

Graham lives in Seneca, South Carolina. A Southern Baptist, he is a member of Seneca's Corinth Baptist Church.