From campaigns to Carolina Forest wildfire, Lindsey Graham’s visits through the years

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a fixture in South Carolina politics for more than three decades and one of President Donald Trump’s closest allies in Congress, died July 11, 2026, at age 71 from an aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Over his nearly 25 years in the Senate, the Republican made repeated stops in the Myrtle Beach area — from campaign launches to policy pitches and constituent showdowns.

Here are some of his top visits along the Grand Strand:

• Vice President Mike Pence joined Graham in March 2019 at the Embassy Suites at Kingston Plantation to launch the senator’s fourth-term re-election bid before roughly 500 supporters, where Graham pledged to build the border wall, appoint conservative judges and ensure Interstate 73 is built. Read original story here.
• At a September 2019 campaign stop at Rioz Brazilian Steakhouse in North Myrtle Beach, Graham told about 300 supporters he had “not lost hope” that a national infrastructure project under Trump could fund I-73 and vowed to partner with U.S. Rep. Tom Rice to get the long-sought roadway built. Read original story here.
• Graham traveled to Myrtle Beach in October 2020 to address the South Carolina Fraternal Order of Police hours after Trump announced his COVID-19 diagnosis, telling the group he opposed calls to defund the police while supporting reform, and confirming Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings were on track to begin Oct. 12. Read original story here.
• At a March 2025 Carolina Forest wildfire briefing, roughly two dozen constituents pressed Graham and U.S. Rep. Russell Fry for an in-person town hall, but Graham declined, saying, “I don’t need a town hall to know what to do,” while Fry dismissed the protesters as “George Soros funded left-wing agitators” — a claim local residents Carole Bellacera and Diana Huggins denied. Read original story here.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.