Graham's death clouds Senate vote on SAVE America Act as South Carolina succession opens

The U.S. Senate legislative calendar shifted abruptly Saturday when Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina died at 71 following what his office termed a "brief and sudden illness," removing one of the SAVE America Act's most active co-sponsors from the chamber. President Donald Trump, appearing Sunday on NBC's Meet the Press, said Graham called him hours before authorities were summoned to the senator's home, and described the loss as a "big blow" to the Republican election bill.

Graham's final hours, as Trump recounted them

Graham had returned from Ukraine before placing the call to Trump, telling the president he had just landed. Trump recalled the senator sounding "a little tired, but perfect." The conversation turned almost immediately to the SAVE America Act. Graham, in Trump's account, told him the bill was "all set" and was pressing its case until the end of the call. Trump described the senator as "pushing the SAVE America Act like crazy."

Trump told host Kristen Welker he received a message at around one in the morning informing him of Graham's death. He said Graham had told him during their call that he felt well despite fatigue from the Ukraine trip. Welker noted that initial reports described the cause as cardiac arrest.

The bill loses its floor champion

The SAVE America Act would require voter identification for federal elections and proof of citizenship to register. Graham had co-sponsored it. By Trump's account, the senator's last conversation was an assurance that the legislation was moving forward. That makes the vacancy more than a ceremonial gap: the legislation now faces the chamber without one of its primary advocates.

Graham had served in the Senate since 2003, following eight years in the House, and was seeking another term in November.

Succession process in South Carolina

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster is expected to appoint an interim senator before the state holds a special election. Trump told Welker he had a preferred candidate for the interim seat but declined to name that person, citing the freshness of Graham's death.

Graham's family asked for privacy in a statement released after his passing, and did not disclose additional details about the circumstances. Graham had challenged Trump in the 2016 Republican presidential primary, then spent much of the following decade as one of his closest Senate allies. Trump described him Sunday as "like a member of the family."