Lindsey Graham
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Lindsey Olin Graham ( GRAM; born July 9, 1955) is an American politician and attorney serving as the senior United States senator from South Carolina, a seat he has held since 2003. A member of the Republican Party, Graham chaired the Senate Committee on the Judiciary from 2019 to 2021. Born in South Carolina, Graham earned both a Bachelor of Arts and a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina. He served in the United States Air Force from 1982 to 1988 as a member of the Judge Advocate General's Corps, working as a defense attorney and chief prosecutor in Europe. He later served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve while in Congress. He was awarded a Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service in 2014 and held the rank of colonel. He did not see combat action during his service. Graham worked as a lawyer in private practice before serving in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1993 to 1995 and the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003, representing South Carolina's 3rd congressional district. In 2002, Graham was elected to the U.S. Senate. He was reelected in 2008, 2014, and 2020. A neoconservative, Graham is a defense hawk and strong advocate for aggressive interventionist foreign policy. Initially, he was known for his willingness to work with Democrats on issues like campaign finance reform, a ban on waterboarding, cap and trade, immigration reform, and judicial nominees. He criticized the Tea Party movement, arguing for a more inclusive Republican Party. Graham sought the Republican nomination for president between June and December 2015, dropping out before the 2016 Republican primaries began. He was an outspoken critic of Donald Trump's 2016 candidacy and repeatedly said he did not support Trump; in particular, he took issue with Trump's comments on Graham's close friend John McCain. After a March 2017 meeting with Trump, Graham became a staunch ally of his, often issuing public statements in his defense. His reversal caught both parties by surprise and sparked media speculation.