How Lindsey Graham's death could affect Donald Trump's agenda
US Senator Lindsey Graham has died at age 71 following a sudden illness caused by an aortic dissection. His passing creates a vacancy in the Senate and complicates the Republican party's narrow majority ahead of the midterm elections.
Why it matters
The death of a high-profile senator significantly impacts the balance of power in the US Senate and the legislative agenda of the Trump administration.
Lindsey Graham was in the midst of a re-election campaign when he died. ( Reuters: Valentyn Ogirenko )
Link copied Share Share article US senator Lindsey Graham died suddenly on Saturday night, local time, creating an unexpected vacancy in Congress.
Graham was in the middle of a campaign for his fifth term and his death has triggered a process to elect someone to take his place on November's midterm election ballot.
Here's what we know about what comes next.
Hours after Graham returned from a trip to Ukraine on Saturday, emergency services responded to a call about a cardiac arrest at the 71-year-old's home in Washington, DC.
The senator's office later confirmed he died after a "brief and sudden illness". The DC medical examiner's office found Graham suffered an aortic dissection .
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