Lindsey Graham

Lindsey Graham
Official portrait, 2013
United States Senator
from South Carolina
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2003
Serving with Tim Scott
Preceded byStrom Thurmond
Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2023
Preceded byChuck Grassley
Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee
In office
February 3, 2021 – January 3, 2023
Preceded byBernie Sanders
Succeeded byChuck Grassley
Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee
In office
January 3, 2019 – February 3, 2021
Preceded byChuck Grassley
Succeeded byDick Durbin
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from South Carolina's 3rd district
In office
January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2003
Preceded byButler Derrick
Succeeded byGresham Barrett
Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives
from the 2nd district
In office
January 12, 1993 – January 3, 1995
Preceded byLowell Ross
Succeeded byBill Sandifer III
Personal details
Born
Lindsey Olin Graham

(1955-07-09) July 9, 1955 (age 69)
Central, South Carolina, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
EducationUniversity of South Carolina (BA, JD)
Signature
Website
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Air Force
Years of service
  • 1982–1989 (active)
  • 1989–1995 (guard)
  • 1995–2015 (reserve)
Rank Colonel
UnitU.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps
Awards
Lindsey Graham's voice
Lindsey Graham on the links between food insecurity and terrorist recruitment
Recorded May 11, 2022

Lindsey Olin Graham (/ɡræm/; born July 9, 1955) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from South Carolina, a seat he has held since 2003. A member of the Republican Party, Graham chaired the Senate Committee on the Judiciary from 2019 to 2021.

A native of Central, South Carolina, Graham received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1981. Most of his active duty during his military service happened from 1982 to 1988, when he served with the Judge Advocate General's Corps in the United States Air Force, as a defense attorney and then as the Air Force's chief prosecutor in Europe, based in West Germany. Later his entire service in the U.S. Air Force Reserve ran concurrently with his congressional career. He was awarded a Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service in 2014 and held the rank of colonel.

Graham worked as a lawyer in private practice before serving one term in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1993 to 1995. He served four terms in the United States House of Representatives for South Carolina's 3rd congressional district from 1995 to 2003. In 2002, Graham won the U.S. Senate seat vacated by retiring Republican incumbent Strom Thurmond. He was reelected to a fourth term in 2020. In the Senate Graham advocates for strong national defense[2] and aggressive interventionist foreign policy.[3] Initially, he was known for his willingness to be bipartisan and work with Democrats on issues like campaign finance reform, a ban on waterboarding, cap and trade, immigration reform, and judicial nominees.[4][5][6][7][8][9] He has criticized the Tea Party movement, arguing for a more inclusive Republican Party.[8][10][11][12][13][14]

Graham sought the Republican nomination for president between June and December 2015, dropping out before the 2016 Republican primaries began.[15][3] He was an outspoken critic of Donald Trump's 2016 candidacy and repeatedly said he did not support Trump;[16] in particular, he took issue with Trump's comments on Graham's close friend, Senator John McCain.[17] After a March 2017 meeting with Trump, Graham became a staunch ally of his, often issuing public statements in his defense. His reversal caught both parties by surprise and sparked media speculation.[17][18] He became chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee in January 2019,[19] and led the U.S. Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Amy Coney Barrett, who was confirmed in October 2020.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Whitlock2015 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference npr2015 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Dann, Carrie (December 21, 2015). "South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham Ends Republican Presidential Bid". NBC News. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  4. ^ Martin, Jonathan (May 9, 2013). "Lindsey Graham faces down primary challenge". Politico. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
  5. ^ Podgers, James (August 5, 2012). "Sen. Lindsey Graham: Qualifications of Judicial Nominees Should Count More Than Politics". ABA Journal. Chicago, Illinois: American Bar Association. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
  6. ^ Maass, Harold (May 9, 2013). "Is Lindsey Graham going to get primaried?". The Week. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
  7. ^ Killian, Linda (June 10, 2014). "Lindsey Graham vs. the Tea Party". The Wall Street Journal. New York City. Archived from the original on September 29, 2019. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  8. ^ a b Jonsson, Patrik (June 11, 2014). "The un-Cantor: Sen. Lindsey Graham wins by poking eye of tea party (+video)". The Christian Science Monitor. Boston, Massachusetts. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  9. ^ Altman, Alex (November 5, 2013). "Lindsey Graham: The Bipartisan Dealmaker Finds Issues to Please GOP Base". Time. New York City. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  10. ^ Wagstaff, Keith (August 26, 2013). "Can Lindsey Graham survive the Tea Party's wrath?". The Week. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
  11. ^ Raju, Manu (April 23, 2014). "How Lindsey Graham outmaneuvered the tea party". Politico. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
  12. ^ Draper, Robert (July 1, 2010). "Lindsey Graham, This Year's Maverick". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2014.
  13. ^ Ball, Molly (June 10, 2014). "How Lindsey Graham Stomped the Tea Party". The Atlantic. Boston, Massachusetts. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2014.
  14. ^ Murphy, Patricia (June 10, 2014). "Lindsey Graham's Tea Party Teflon". The Daily Beast. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
  15. ^ Rappeport, Alan (June 21, 2015). "Lindsey Graham Announces Presidential Bid". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  16. ^ Hains, Tim (June 7, 2016). "Lindsey Graham Takes The Off-Ramp: "I'm Not Supporting Mr. Trump"". RealClearPolitics (citing NBC news). Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  17. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference miller2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ Parker, Kathleen (January 15, 2019). "What did they do with Lindsey Graham?". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  19. ^ "Senate Judiciary Committee sets confirmation hearing for Trump attorney general pick William Barr". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved March 30, 2022.