WASHINGTON — Political leaders and prominent figures from around the globe are remembering South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died unexpectedly on July 11 at 71 years old.
Tuesday was the first of two days of ceremonies for Graham.
>>>You can watch the service here.
There was a short service inside the U.S. Capitol Rotunda Tuesday morning where Senate Leader John Thune, Vice President JD Vance and U.S. Rep. Sheri Biggs, R-S.C, shared stories and more about their time with the late senator.
She said Graham was very good at outsmarting the trolls, the armchair critics, and the keyboard warriors. On a serious note, she praised him for his legacy of service to South Carolina, the nation, and for making the world a better and safer place.
“A legacy is not only built through votes, legislation, or headlines, a legacy is built through the lives touched, the relationships formed, and the focused mission to make a difference over time,” said Biggs.
Senator Lindsey Graham’s deep love of South Carolina was on full display, Channel 9’s Joe Bruno reported from Washington, D.C.
In the past nine months, Graham has secured hundreds of millions of dollars, including projects in Pageland, Tega Cay and Lancaster County.
President Donald Trump and Fox News host Sean Hannity both mentioned how much pride Graham had in serving the Palmetto State and helping its residents.
Hundreds of world leaders, family members and friends attended the two-hour memorial Tuesday afternoon at the Washington National Cathedral, where there was a packed crowd full of power that Hannity says would have blown Graham away.
Plenty of stories were shared about Graham’s life of service, such as how he visited more war zones than any other senator and never slowed down.
His oldest niece called him the rock of their family and tearfully recalled frequent vacations to Disney World and annual Christmas shopping trips.
But more than anything, Graham was a South Carolinian through and through.
“Lindsey, I want everyone to know, he was so proud to be a senator,” Hannity said. “He was so proud to serve the people of South Carolina. The people of that great state. I want you to know you gave Lindsey Graham the honor of a lifetime.”
It was a funeral, but make no mistake, there were a lot of laughs. Graham was widely known as being hilarious, and Trump had the crowd laughing during his eulogy.
‘We became great friends’
The world knows Graham was passionate about foreign affairs. Trump said today Graham never saw a war he didn’t like.
He shared how Graham asked the Dalai Lama if he could levitate and that when Sen. Tim Scott invited Graham to a prayer breakfast at 8:30 a.m.. Graham told him he wouldn’t leave bed before 10:30 a.m., even if Jesus was attending that breakfast. It was moments of levity that only a close friend could provide.
But Trump and Graham weren’t always buddy-buddy. The two ran against each other in 2016 and had some tough words for each other. Trump took it up a notch by publicly revealing Graham’s personal phone number to millions during a campaign rally. The phone, of course, blew up, but Trump says Graham got him back.
“He said I had that number for 20 years,” Trump said. “His phone totally exploded. I don’t know what he did with it. That was the beginning of a friendship in a way, but it was Lindsey who had the last laugh, because while I blew up his phone all for one day, we became great friends and Lindsey did not stop calling me for the next 10 years.”
Trump says there’s not a single town in South Carolina that Graham didn’t help get money for a bridge, a road or project. He says the country needs more men and women like him.
On Wednesday, Graham will be honored in his home state of South Carolina with a procession at the Statehouse and a private burial. Channel 9 reporters Ken Lemon and Tina Terry will be live in Columbia for the services to be held in the Palmetto State.
The race for the Senate
The filing deadline is Tuesday for candidates who want to run for Graham’s vacant Senate seat.
Controversial former Gov. Mark Sanford officially filed on Monday. He said his message will focus on affordability, taxes and the national debt.
Sanford joins a crowded field of other Republican hopefuls, including local Congressmen Russell Fry and Ralph Norman, along with businessman Mark Lynch, who lost to Graham in the June primary election.
Lindsey Graham’s sister, Darline Graham, who was appointed to serve the rest of his term, is also running.
Seniors 65 and older and anyone else who qualifies must request a ballot by Friday if they want to vote by mail.
Early voting starts Aug. 5, and the primary election is Aug. 11.
You can only vote in this primary if you did not vote in the regular primary or the runoff, or you voted Republican in those primaries.
The winner will face the Democratic candidate Dr. Annie Andrews in November.