Lindsey Graham is an American politician and lawyer serving as a Republican U.S. Senator from South Carolina since 2003. He succeeded long-serving Senator Strom Thurmond and has been re-elected multiple times, most recently in 2020. Before the Senate, Graham was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2002, representing South Carolina's 3rd congressional district—the first Republican to hold that seat since Reconstruction. He also served one term in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1992 to 1994[1][2][3][4]. Graham has a long military background, including over six years of active duty in the U.S. Air Force as a lawyer and later service in the Air Force Reserves and South Carolina Air National Guard. He retired as a colonel in 2015 after 33 years of service. His military experience has strongly influenced his political focus on national defense and veterans' issues[2][5]. Politically, Graham is known as a conservative with a reputation for being a pragmatic problem-solver and at times bipartisan collaborator. Early in his Senate career, he supported increased legal immigration and bipartisan immigration reform efforts. He opposed the Affordable Care Act and worked on attempts to repeal or replace it. After Donald Trump became president in 2017, Graham became one of his most vocal supporters, championing judicial appointments including the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett in 2020. He also played a prominent role during the contentious 2020 presidential election and the January 6, 2021, Capitol certification process[1][3]. Currently, Graham serves as Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee and is a member of the Judiciary, Appropriations, and Environment and Public Works Committees. He continues to focus on defense, judiciary matters, and government operations. His legislative work includes sponsoring bills related to international affairs, law enforcement, and health policy[2][4].