Sen. Roger Marshall called on Senate Republicans to press ahead with election integrity legislation championed by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, arguing on Newsmax Monday that the chamber should continue advancing the SAVE America Act by voting on its individual components.

The Kansas Republican told "Wake Up America" that his death should not halt efforts to pass election security measures that Graham had backed before he passed away.

Marshall suggested Republicans should pursue the legislation in stages, beginning with voter identification requirements, followed by proof-of-citizenship provisions and additional safeguards for mail-in ballots.

"Let's just vote on voter ID. Ninety percent of Americans support that," Marshall said. "Let's get it passed. Surely 10 Democrats will vote for voter ID, but I'd like to get them on record one way or the other. Then next, let's vote on some type of proof of citizenship and we get that passed. Then let's go to what type of guardrails do we want on mail in ballots as well?"

The comments came as Senate Republicans assess the impact of Graham's death on the conference. His passing reduces the GOP majority in the Senate and leaves a vacancy atop the Senate Budget Committee, where Graham served as chairman.

Marshall acknowledged the loss extends far beyond the party's vote count, saying the South Carolina Republican "was the glue. He will be hard to replace." 

He emphasized that "Lindsey Graham was one of my very best friends up here. And I won't be surprised if 98 senators also say that he was one of their best friends."

Marshall said he expects other senators will eventually assume Graham's responsibilities but predicted the transition will temporarily slow committee work.

"Do I think there's other people capable of it? Absolutely they are. But it will slow things down a week or two," he said.

Reflecting on Graham's leadership style, Marshall said the longtime senator excelled at setting strategic direction rather than focusing on legislative minutiae.

"Lindsey was a big-picture person," Marshall said. "He was the one that could make the complicated simple."

Marshall, who serves on the Budget Committee, said Graham relied on colleagues to handle detailed budget calculations while he focused on broader policy goals and keeping the conference united.

He also recalled Graham's military-inspired management style, joking that whenever a senator complained about an issue, Graham would immediately assign that person responsibility for fixing it.

"If you made any complaints, Lindsey was going to put you in charge of that issue," Marshall said.

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