United States Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina died on the evening of Saturday, 11th July, 2026, following a brief and sudden illness. He was 71. Preliminary medical findings from Washington DC medical examiners identified the cause of death as aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Graham had returned from a trip to Ukraine hours before his death.
First elected to the House of Representatives in 1992 and to the Senate in 2002, Graham served more than three decades in the United States Congress, establishing himself as one of Washington’s most prominent foreign policy champions and one of the most consistent advocator for the Kurdish people in American politics.
His relationship with Kurdistan ran deep. Graham repeatedly argued that Kurdish forces had played a decisive role in the international coalition’s efforts against ISIS and advocated for continued US support for the Kurdish security institutions. His commitment did not waver in the final moments of his life. In January 2026, Graham introduced the bipartisan Save the Kurds Act, where the legislation drafted in response to military offensives against the Kurdish people and the Kurdish-led SDF in Rojava, proposing sanctions on the Syrian government official and foreign entities providing military support to operations targeting the Kurdish forces.
Kurdish leaders across the region mourned his passing. Former Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani described Graham as “a friend of the Kurdish people” whose support will always be remembered with deep respect. The Governor of Erbil, Omed Khoshnaw, had previously announced the governorate’s approval to erect a statue of the Senator in the city in appreciation of his support for the Kurds.
With his passing, the Kurdish cause loses one of its most reliable and vocal politicians in Washington. The Save the Kurds Act remains pending in Congress.
