COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Sen. Lindsey Graham returned for the last time Wednesday to South Carolina, where powerful friends remembered him as someone who never stopped working for the state he loved.
South Carolina ETV streamed the ceremonies honoring Sen. Lindsey Graham in Columbia on Wednesday. Watch in the video player above.
After Graham was eulogized Tuesday in the nation's capital as an indefatigable dealmaker by the president, vice president and others, mourners in Columbia recalled him as the son of pool hall owners who "was born with a plastic fork in his mouth," as former Rep. Trey Gowdy put it.
WATCH: Trump pays tribute to Sen. Graham during National Cathedral funeral service
The Republican seemed to know every mayor and small-town police chief and the location of every Chick-fil-A in South Carolina, and made sure GOP candidates had money to run in legislative and local elections across the state.
"Lindsey Graham understood the hopes and dreams and needs of his state and delivered every time," said Republican Gov. Henry McMaster, who ended his remarks by telling Graham he loved him.
Friends recall his humor, work ethic and love of people
Graham died suddenly on July 11 at his home in Washington, likely of an aortic tear, according to preliminary findings. He had just returned from a whirlwind trip to a NATO summit in Turkey, where he celebrated his 71st birthday, and a visit to Ukraine as he negotiated punishing sanctions against Russia. Senators voted late Tuesday to advance the package as a final gesture for their colleague.
Wednesday's funeral was at First Baptist, the giant downtown church where his predecessor Republican Sen. Strom Thurmond was eulogized 23 years ago.
One of Graham's many friends in Congress, Gowdy said the senator rose to power through humor, genuine caring for all people and a relentless work ethic. He joked the governor should change the name of the state capital of Columbia to honor Graham, even though his friend wouldn't want it.
"It wasn't the trapping of office he cared about. It was the work," Gowdy said.
Graham also remembered for peacemaking and unpopular votes
Trey Gowdy speaks during the funeral service of Lindsey Graham at the First Baptist Church of Columbia in South Carolina on July 29, 2026. Photo by Alyssa Pointer/ Reuters
Gowdy spoke for nearly 30 minutes. He remembered a man who knew who he was, cast unpopular votes because they were the right thing to do, loved kids even though he was never married or a father — one joking bit of advice Graham gave youngsters was to "never do for yourself what someone else will do for you" — and was the least pretentious person in politics.
"Lindsey, I loved you. You made me laugh. You made me think. You made me want to jump out of airplanes. You got me fined by the FCC when you came on my show. And you have made me cry a lot over the last two weeks, but I want you to know, brother, that your name will echo through the halls of history," he said.
People who thought Graham was a warmonger were wrong, Gowdy said. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that "Lindsey liked war."
"Blessed be the peacemakers. He was on a trip that turned out to be his last trip trying to broker peace in a war where hundreds of thousands of people lost their lives," Gowdy said.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, the only remaining member of the South Carolina delegation in power when Graham arrived in Washington in 1995, read Psalm 23.
Funeral process included a horse-drawn caisson and military jets
On Tuesday, Graham's flag-draped casket was at the U.S. Capitol, where the Republican spent more than 30 years talking and laughing and badgering his colleagues into action. Trump then joined foreign leaders at a memorial service at the Washington National Cathedral, a testament to Graham's stature on the global stage, calling him "a giant of the United States Senate, a true American original who left us much too soon."
Wednesday's ceremonies began at the Statehouse, where Graham started his political career in 1993. A horse-drawn caisson carrying his casket paused in front of a dozen law enforcement officers for a flyover by four military jets, and then proceeded to the church, where his family followed military pallbearers inside. A 130-member choir sang hymns.
Hundreds of movers in South Carolina politics gathered, including both nominees for governor — Republican Attorney General Alan Wilson and Democratic state Rep. Jermaine Johnson — along with longtime Republican politicians like former House Speaker and Ambassador to Canada David Wilkins and former U.S. Rep. Henry Brown.
Graham's burial Wednesday near his home in Pickens County was planned as a private ceremony.
Graham's sister now faces a special primary
Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., and her husband Larry Nordone welcome the casket of late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., at the First Baptist Church of Columbia in Columbia, South Carolina, on July 29, 2026. Photo by Alyssa Pointer/ Reuters
Several speakers praised the senator's younger sister Darline Graham, who dabbed her eyes as she sat with her family in a front pew.
"What a powerful, graceful person to show up here under such immense pressure," Sen. Tim Scott said in his eulogy.
Graham's death, after winning the Republican nomination for a fifth term, has created opportunities for political change. McMaster named Darline Graham to hold his seat until January. She then surprised many by deciding to run for the full six-year term herself.
State law has Republicans holding a special primary in two weeks to decide the new nominee. Eight others are competing, including former Gov. Mark Sanford and U.S. Reps. Ralph Norman and Russell Fry. Three candidates who paid the filing fee were kicked off the ballot because they didn't meet new party requirements for voting in the Republican primary.
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