The unexpected death of Sen. Lindsey Graham leaves a significant void in the Republican Party and the U.S. Senate, according to former Wisconsin Congressman Scott Klug, who knew the South Carolina Republican during their time in Congress. Speaking with WTMJ’s Libby Collins on Wisconsin’s Weekend Morning News, Klug said Graham’s absence comes at a particularly uncertain time as questions also surround the health and future of Senate Republican Mitch McConnell.
Klug described Graham as a leading voice on national security and foreign policy, saying his influence extended well beyond South Carolina. “He was an articulate voice on defense issues, very smart when it came to international affairs,” Klug said. “Losing him will lose a very powerful voice for the international wing of the Republican Party.” He added that Graham’s support for tougher sanctions on Russia and his hawkish stance on Iran often put him at odds with the party’s more isolationist wing.
While Klug expects Republicans to retain Graham’s Senate seat in heavily Republican South Carolina, he said McConnell’s situation could have much broader implications. If the Kentucky senator is unable to return, Klug noted that Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear could face a politically difficult decision over appointing a replacement, potentially affecting the balance of power in the Senate.
Beyond politics, Klug remembered Graham as an approachable and tireless public servant. “He was somebody who I think was a classic workaholic and served his country well,” he said. “The Senate and the country will be a much less effective, much less friendly place with Lindsey Graham gone.”
