Provpnadvice.com – Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-S.C.) death has left a massive hole in the hawkish wing of the Senate GOP as President Trump navigates the wars in Iran and Ukraine.
There’s broad agreement that no single lawmaker can fill the void left by the Senate stalwart, a rare figure who was close to the president while maintaining friendly ties with Democrats.
Still, Senate Republicans will need to piece together a strategy for influencing the White House and their colleagues across the aisle as they seek to maintain an assertive U.S. foreign policy around the world.
“Sadly, Lindsey leaves a void that’s going to take quite a while to fill,” Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah) said. “And it probably will be more multiple people. There’s no one next person to swap in, but he was just — I think it was a combination of his service in the military, his length of service here. All of those things came together to make that work.”
One Republican strategist predicted “a chorus” of Republicans from inside and outside of the Senate could fill the void.
“I think there will be a chorus of people who will try to find a space and a place to get the president’s attention, and help guide him from a policy standpoint,” the strategist said.
Graham’s foreign policy views were becoming somewhat of a rarity in Trump’s circles and the increasingly populist Republican Party. The South Carolina Republican encouraged interventionism, wanting the U.S. to be involved in conflicts around the world whether through sanctions, military action or some other means, to bolster U.S. national security.
Others close to Trump, like Vice President Vance, have less traditional Republican stances on geopolitics. Vance has demonstrated more interest in how global issues and overseas conflicts reverberate to domestic social and economic cohesion and prosperity.
“Lindsey was unique for a whole host of reasons,” the Republican strategist said. “There just aren’t that many existing senators who share the late Sen. Graham’s passion for Israel, for Ukraine, and for the willingness to use U.S. military superpower, and frankly in a lot of cases, U.S. troops to help advance those or other similar foreign policy outcomes.”
Trump predicted that Graham’s sister and successor, Sen. Darline Graham (R-S.C.), would pursue a more domestic-focused agenda.
“I’ve spoken to her a lot, and she’s much more focused on domestic [issues] including costs and pricing,” the president said.
Senate Republicans, several of whom have traditionally been more mainstream interventionists on foreign policy, may need to step into the void left by Graham. And having Trump’s ear is somewhat the currency of Washington, which some have more of than others.
“That’s something that’s got to be a personal relationship with the president. I’m not sure who in the Senate has that,” said Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “I mean, Lindsey clearly had developed that relationship, as he said, he had developed a very good relationship with the president. They had a number of things in common. I’m sure you’ve heard him say that. And it just takes time to have that happen. You know, I mean, it takes time for the president to find out ways to have some informal communication lines as well.”
Other names that have been floated include Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), and Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.).
Hagerty is known for his foreign policy background, while Britt has made a name for her relationship-building abilities since arriving in the Senate, and Cruz serves as chair of the Senate Commerce Committee.
All three senators have forged close relationships with the president.
“It’s tough to replicate Sen. Graham’s closeness with Trump and knowledge of the issues, but a dark horse to fill his shoes would be Sen. Bill Hagerty — he is an active member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and was Trump’s ambassador to Japan in his first term,” said John Ullyot, former deputy assistant to Trump and National Security Council spokesperson in Trump’s first administration.
“Hagerty is one of the smartest senators around on foreign policy, shares Trump’s views on the importance of countering China, and knows the markets inside and out from a long career in business. Don’t be surprised to see him around the Oval Office a ton over the next two and a half years,” he continued.
As for the other senators who have been floated, many are already deeply involved in domestic policy matters and may have higher ambitions.
Graham, on the other hand, made it his life’s work in the Senate to push his foreign policy agenda.
“I can’t think of or imagine another singular senator who would be as focused, would share those same world views, and be willing to whipsaw and essentially lobby the president 24/7 on them,” the Republican strategist said.
Graham displayed this up until the last hours of his life. Prior to his sudden death, the senator arrived in Ukraine on the morning of July 10, which was his 10th visit to the country, and was back in the U.S. by the evening of July 11. The senator even chatted with Trump about the trip shortly before he died.
“That’s a big ask for any senator, even if they might see the world through a similar prism,” the strategist said.
“It’s tough to ask somebody to basically make that their Senate agenda,” they added.
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