How Lindsey Graham’s keen ability to read the moment propelled him to political relevance for 3 decades

by Christopher Cooper and H. Gibbs KnottsSince South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham’s death on June 11, 2026, much of the commentary has focused on his evolution from Donald Trump critic to Trump ally.But focusing on that transformation misses the broader pattern that defined his political career. For more than three decades, Graham repeatedly positioned himself where Republican politics in the South were headed rather than where they had been.Gibbs Knotts and I explain more in this piece for The Conversation, And, because of the Conversation's Creative Commons license, it is available to repost for free (with attribution).