Tributes to the late South Carolina senator will be held July 28 in Washington, followed by memorial events July 29 in Columbia and Pickens County.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Memorial services honoring the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., will be held later this month in Washington, D.C., and South Carolina, according to an announcement from his office.
Taylor Reidy, Graham’s communications director, announced Friday on X that a memorial event will take place in Washington on Tuesday, July 28.
Additional services are scheduled for Wednesday, July 29, in Columbia and Pickens County, South Carolina.
The announcement did not include specific times or locations. Graham’s office said additional details would be released later.
Newsmax congressional correspondent Kilmeny Duchardt also confirmed the dates provided by the senator’s office.
The memorial schedule was announced less than a week after Graham died unexpectedly Saturday at age 71 from an aortic dissection, according to a preliminary report from the Washington medical examiner cited by the Greenville News.
Planning the services has reportedly been complicated by the number of foreign dignitaries seeking to attend.
Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., previously told reporters that Graham’s extensive international relationships had generated significant interest among foreign leaders wishing to participate in the memorial events.
Scott also said Graham had been offered the honor of lying in state at the U.S. Capitol. It was not immediately clear whether Graham’s family had accepted the invitation.
Graham represented South Carolina in the U.S. Senate beginning in 2003 after serving four terms in the House of Representatives.
During more than three decades in Congress, he became one of the Republican Party’s most prominent voices on national security, military policy and foreign affairs.
Graham was known for taking an active role in debates over U.S. military operations, defense spending, international alliances and American policy toward countries including Russia, China and Iran.
Although he strongly criticized Donald Trump during the 2016 Republican presidential primary, Graham later became one of Trump’s closest and most reliable allies in Washington.
He supported the president’s agenda, helped advance Trump’s judicial nominees and defended him during both impeachment proceedings.
Following Graham’s death, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Graham’s sister, Darline Graham, to temporarily represent the state in the Senate.
She will serve through January 2027 while South Carolina voters select a permanent successor through a special election.
Candidate filing for the Republican special primary will begin July 21 and close July 28, the same day as the scheduled Washington memorial.
The Republican primary will be held Aug. 11. If no candidate receives a majority, the two leading contenders will advance to an Aug. 25 runoff.
The party’s nominee will compete in the Nov. 3 general election.
The memorial services in Washington, Columbia and Pickens County are expected to draw elected officials, foreign dignitaries, former colleagues and other political leaders honoring Graham’s decades of public service and influence within the Republican Party.
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