TRENTON, NJ — Gov. Mikie Sherrill did not issue a statewide order lowering New Jersey flags in memory of the late U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham after a Republican state senator publicly urged her to recognize the longtime lawmaker and military veteran.
State Sen. Joe Pennacchio, R-Morris and Passaic, called on Sherrill on July 15 to lower flags at state buildings in accordance with a proclamation issued by President Donald Trump following Graham’s death.
“Senator Lindsey Graham dedicated decades of his life in service of our nation, both in Washington and in the Air Force,” Pennacchio said.
Trump’s July 13 proclamation ordered the American flag lowered at the White House, federal public buildings, military installations, naval stations and federal vessels throughout the United States and its territories until 6 p.m. on July 18. The presidential proclamation applied directly to federal property. A separate order from Sherrill would have been required to direct flags at New Jersey government facilities.
“Our nation has long understood that when a public servant passes away after a lifetime of service to the American people, we come together and honor them with dignity and respect,” Pennacchio said. “New Jersey should not be the exception.”
Pennacchio asked Sherrill to “acknowledge the President’s directive and order all flags in New Jersey to be lowered out of respect to Senator Graham’s lifetime of service.”
Graham, a South Carolina Republican, died suddenly on July 11 at age 71. He served in the U.S. Senate for more than two decades after previously serving four terms in the House of Representatives.
Before and during his congressional career, Graham served in the United States Air Force, South Carolina Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. He retired as a colonel after more than 30 years of military service and received the Bronze Star Medal for his work as a senior legal adviser supporting operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Senator Graham may have represented South Carolina, but his oath of office was to the United States Constitution, both as a congressman and as a veteran,” Pennacchio said.
As of July 18, the governor’s public archive did not show an executive order directing New Jersey flags to be lowered specifically for Graham.
Sherrill did issue a separate order lowering U.S. and New Jersey flags on July 17 in honor of Robert W. Reider III, a New Jersey firefighter who died on July 10. The governor’s order honoring Reider applied for that day.
The Sherrill administration had not publicly responded to Pennacchio’s request as of Saturday.
