Tim Rice

The lion’s share of tributes pouring in for Lindsey Graham, who died unexpectedly over the weekend at 71, will rightly focus on his commitment to bolstering American national security. But there’s another aspect of his legacy that warrants celebration and reflection. In between his crusades to seat President Donald Trump’s nominees and defend democracy abroad, the late senator from South Carolina led one of the last true efforts to fix American health care.

On January 19, 2010, Scott Brown was arguably the most important man in America. After Ted Kennedy’s death, Brown rode the Tea Party wave from Massachusetts to the United States Senate with a pledge to be the 41st vote against what was then called the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

In the hours since one of Graham Platner’s former girlfriends accused him of rape, the Maine Democrat has lost the support of the state and national party, as well as nearly every prominent figure who stuck with him through his scandal-plagued campaign. But he can still count on Stephen King. “Graham Platner may drop out. (I hope he doesn’t, but.),” the septuagenarian horror writer and Maine resident posted on X. “Meanwhile, the Abuser in Chief just keeps on keepin’ on.” Graham Platner may drop out.