Lindsey Olin Graham (/ɡræm/; born July 9, 1955) is an American politician, attorney, and Air Force veteran serving as the senior United States senator from South Carolina, a seat he has held since 2003.

[1] In 2014, Graham received a Bronze Star medal for meritorious service as a senior legal adviser to the Air Force in Iraq and Afghanistan from August 2009 to July 2014, overseeing the detention of military prisoners.

In the general election, he defeated Democratic nominee Alex Sanders, the former president of the College of Charleston and former chief judge of the South Carolina Court of Appeals, 600,010 votes (54%) to 487,359 (44%).

[54] Of all the Republican senators up for reelection in 2014, Graham was considered one of the most vulnerable to a primary challenge, largely due to his low approval ratings and reputation for working with and compromising with Democrats.

[90] In December 2019, as two articles of impeachment against Trump moved to a vote before the full House and referral to the Senate for trial, Graham said, "I am trying to give a pretty clear signal I have made up my mind.

Graham said it was "a mistake" for Trump to pardon criminal defendants who pleaded guilty to or were convicted of violent crimes during the January 6 attack on the Capitol, citing concerns about condoning violence and undermining support of law enforcement officers.

[102] The 2020 United States presidential election in Georgia produced an initial count where Biden defeated Trump by around 14,000 votes, triggering a recount due to the small margin.

He lobbied Governor Jim Pillen to call a special session of the legislature to adopt the winner-take-all system, preventing Kamala Harris from receiving the state's one Electoral College vote typically won by Democrats.

"[126] In an October 2018 interview, Graham said specifically that "[i]f an opening comes in the last year of President Trump's term, and the primary process has started, we'll wait till the next election.

"[127] During the 2018 confirmation hearings following Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court of the United States, Graham took a strong stance against letting the process be further delayed by Christine Blasey Ford's allegations.

[128] Speaking to reporters immediately after the Senate Judiciary Committee questioned Ford, Graham declared himself unmoved by her testimony, doubting her recollection that it was Kavanaugh who had assaulted her.

[135] Graham said that in 2013, years before his 2016 pledge, Democrats had changed Senate rules to allow a simple majority vote for nominees to United States courts of appeals.

[147][148][149] In July 2005, Graham secured the declassification and release of memoranda outlining concerns made by senior military lawyers as early as 2003 about the legality of the interrogations of prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay.

He has argued that two of the largest problems leading to the detainee abuse scandals at Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib were this lack of oversight and troops' confusion over legal boundaries.

[159] The controversy prompted conservative activists to support a primary challenge in 2008 by longtime Republican national committeeman Buddy Witherspoon,[160][161] but Graham won the nomination by a large margin.

[200] On December 10, 2009, Graham and senators John Kerry and Joe Lieberman co-sponsored a letter to President Obama announcing their commitment to passing a climate change bill and outlining its framework.

[213] Graham and senators John McCain and Joe Lieberman, who were frequently dubbed "the three amigos", traveled widely, pushing for American military intervention, particularly after the September 11 attacks.

"[citation needed] On July 16, 2013, Graham suggested the United States should consider boycotting the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, because of "what the Russian government is doing throughout the world".

The tweet, which was viewed as suggesting that a Russian resident should assassinate Putin, drew backlash from American politicians, who condemned the idea and proposed heavier sanctions instead.

In response, Graham tweeted that the news brought him "immense joy" and that he would "wear the arrest warrant issued by Putin's corrupt and immoral government as a Badge of Honor".

[245] On February 13, 2024, Graham voted against the Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan appropriations bill because it included an effort by senators James Lankford, Kyrsten Sinema, and Chuck Schumer to control the US-Mexico border.

"[268] Kamikawa told the parliamentary committee, "The atomic bombings took many precious lives and forced people to face unspeakable hardships such as illnesses and disabilities, creating a situation that is extremely regrettable from a humanitarian point of view."

[281] Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said, "These horrible statements by an American senator in justifying and encouraging the use of nuclear bombs by the Zionist regime reflect the brutality of those who advocate war and disregard human rights and international resolutions.

"[295] A few days later, he called for an expanded role of the U.S. military in Niger: "You're going to see more actions in Africa, not less; you're going to see more aggression by the United States toward our enemies, not less; you're going to have decisions being made not in the White House but out in the field.

"[311] The Cato Institute's Center for Trade Policy Studies identifies Graham, during his U.S. House and U.S. Senate tenure, as having a mostly protectionist and pro-subsidies voting record.

[317] In 2016, The Boston Globe reported that Graham was "the only Republican recipient of money from a major Democratic donor now facing scrutiny for some questionable campaign donation habits.

[322] During his Senate reelection race in October 2014, while discussing immigration and foreign policy issues with a reporter from The Weekly Standard, Graham said, "If I get through my general election, if nobody steps up in the presidential mix, if nobody's out there talking ...

"[323] On March 7, 2015, at a "Politics and Pies" forum, Graham advocated the reversal of defense spending cuts and quipped: "If I were President of the United States, I wouldn't let Congress leave town until we fix this.

[327] On December 21, 2015, Graham suspended his presidential campaign, due to lack of support and poor polling, and on January 15, 2016, endorsed former Florida Governor Jeb Bush.

Graham has said that his parents' early deaths made him mature more quickly, and Nordone, who introduced her brother at his 2016 announcement of his candidacy for president, said she hoped to be with him on the campaign trail frequently to show voters his softer side.