Lindsey Graham was no stranger to the SC Lowcountry. Here’s what he did while in the senate
Longtime South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham passed away Saturday evening after “a brief and sudden illness,” his office said in a statement.
Graham spent nearly a quarter-century as one of South Carolina’s senators, taking over Strom Thurmond’s seat in 2003. Graham won Beaufort County in all four of his senatorial campaigns in 2002, 2008, 2014 and 2020, and won Beaufort County in his 2026 primary campaign. Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Graham’s sister, Darline Graham Nordone, as his temporary successor. A Republican primary on Aug. 11 will decide the party’s candidate for the seat in the November general election.
Despite living in Seneca, South Carolina, a town about 250 miles from the Lowcountry, Graham often visited here and supported local causes. Here’s when he last visited, and his Lowcountry involvement during his last years as senator.
Graham’s last Lowcountry appearances
Graham’s last visit to the Lowcountry was for his 2026 primary campaign in May, according to his X page. He visited Bluffton on May 7 and Beaufort on May 29 to speak with supporters ahead of the statewide primary. He won Beaufort County with 62.82% of the votes.
Hilton Head Christian Academy’s 8th grade class visited Graham in Washington D.C. in January. Graham posted photos with the students to his X, formerly Twitter.
Graham was a regular at PGA Tour’s RBC Heritage golf tournament on Hilton Head Island. Amateurs can compete the day before tournament play begins. Graham last participated in 2025, alongside other South Carolina notables such as USC football coach Shane Beamer, according to previous Island Packet reporting.
Parris Island
In 2020, Graham opposed plans to close Parris Island’s Marine Corps training camp in Port Royal, according to previous Island Packet reporting. The plan was spurred by a Congressional mandate to gender-integrate military training facilities, and would establish a single co-ed training camp. “It ain’t gonna happen,” Graham said at the time.
Parris Island was not closed, and remains one of two Marine Corps training facilities in the U.S.
Beaufort Memorial
Beaufort Memorial Hospital struggled to fulfill growing surgery demand in 2023, leading it to propose expansion of its medical pavilion, according to previous Island Packet reporting. $17.9 million of the project’s $24 million budget came from federal sources, and Graham was an advocate for the funding.
“When it comes to healthcare in South Carolina, the answer is, ‘more,’” he said at the time. “More doctors, more nurses, more hospitals, more preventative medicine.”
287(g)
Graham also supported the Department of Homeland Security’s reimbursement of police departments with 287(g) agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office is one of 49 South Carolina police agencies with a 287(g) agreement.