Democrat Annie Andrews pulled off a historic upset Tuesday, defeating Republican Darline Graham to capture South Carolina’s US Senate seat and end nearly three decades of Republican victories in the state.
Andrews became the first Democrat to win a Palmetto State Senate race since 1998 and thwarted Graham’s bid to secure a full six-year term in Washington and continue the legacy of her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Graham, 62, was appointed by Gov. Henry McMaster to fill the seat following Lindsey Graham’s sudden death July 11 at age 71.
Graham entered the Senate with little experience on the national political stage, having toiled anonymously in obscure state government roles for nearly 30 years, most recently as head of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind. Her appointment by McMaster made her the first woman to ever represent the state in the US Senate.
In contrast to Lindsey Graham, a prominent Republican voice on national security and foreign policy and a leading advocate for continued US support for Ukraine, Darline Graham said she wanted to focus on issues closer to home.
“National security is not my thing,” she admitted during a debate with Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) ahead of her victory in a special primary held in August.
True to her word, Darline Graham campaigned on a conservative platform that emphasized immigration enforcement, gun rights and opposition to abortion. She also broke with President Trump over his decision to waive sanctions on Russia, saying she did not trust Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump still threw his support behind Graham’s bid for a full term, endorsing her in the special primary and campaigning alongside her in the final stretch of the race.
The president praised Lindsey Graham’s legacy while urging voters to back his sister, making the contest a test of his political influence in a state Trump carried by nearly 18 percentage points in 2024.
Andrews, a 45-year-old pediatrician, emphasized health care and affordability, as rising costs and dissatisfaction with the national political climate left the GOP hoping to cling on to its Senate majority.
With polls showing a tighter-than-expected contest, outside Republican groups poured millions of dollars into the race in a bid to shore up Graham’s victory — even as GOP operatives whispered anonymously about the candidate’s shortcomings.
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