Vice President JD Vance Honors Late Sen. Lindsey Graham at Capitol Memorial

Vice President JD Vance joined fellow Republicans in the Capitol Rotunda to remember Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died earlier in July at age 71. Vance offered condolences to Graham’s family and staff and described the senator’s “world-class sense of humor,” his fascination with people from all walks of life, and his “swashbuckling, infectious laugh.” Vance also recalled a heated lunch-time debate over a Ukraine funding bill, followed by a surprising reversal in which Graham quietly supported a rail-infrastructure measure that Vance had been championing.

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Vance said he first met Graham while campaigning for his own 2022 Ohio Senate race, riding in the back of Graham’s car and witnessing the senator’s “great sense of humor.” Vance also credited Graham with helping secure the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, noting the senator’s role amid “disputed controversies.” The vice president concluded with a prayer for Graham’s family and a final tribute: “a true American original.”

Daily Wire

• “Lindsey Graham was impossible not to like as a human being and, of course, as a United States senator.” — Americans. Vance, vice president

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• “This was a guy who couldn’t have stood more than 6-foot-6 or 5-foot-7, but he’d swashbuckle in with his jacket open like he was 6-foot-5,” — Americans. Vance, vice president

Washington Examiner

• “And that was the kind of colleague he could be: a person you argued with and fought with in one minute, but behind the scenes, without collecting an ounce of credit, was working for you and working for the things that you cared about in the next,” — Americans. Vance, vice president

Washington Examiner

Vance’s remarks framed Graham as a “true American original” whose love for people translated into bipartisan cooperation, even when public disagreements arose. He highlighted Graham’s capacity to “reason with” and “respect” others, suggesting that personal rapport often underpinned legislative outcomes. No other government officials issued statements in the coverage.

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