COLUMBIA, S.C. — On May 3, 2016, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) famously posted on Twitter: “If we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed … and we will deserve it.”
The midterm elections, 10 years later, have confirmed his prediction. The stunning defeat of his sister, Republican Darline Graham, who sought to hold on to her late brother’s Senate seat, put an exclamation point at the end of his prophecy. Graham had been appointed to fill the remainder of her older brother’s term after his sudden death in July. In a decision that surprised many, Graham decided to run for the full six-year term.
Suffice it to say, she lost “bigly” on Tuesday night to Democrat Annie Andrews, a pediatrician who enjoyed a considerable head start in the race. Graham was grief-stricken when Gov. Henry McMaster suddenly thrust her into the harsh glare of politics. She had no time to become knowledgeable about all the issues on which her four-term-senator brother excelled, especially foreign policy. In addition to being a poor candidate, she was subsumed by a wave of nationwide discontent. It was not her time.
It would appear that it is no longer President Donald Trump’s time, either, even here, where he won in 2024 by roughly 18 points.
Political prognosticators who thought a Trump-endorsed candidate would be a shoo-in seem to have forgotten that the Palmetto State isn’t inclined toward federal orders or hand-me-downs. Not even money can win their affections. Republican governors have been resolute in rejecting federal funding and policies that could be helpful, such as then-Gov. Nikki Haley’s 2012 rejection of expanding Medicaid eligibility and the associated federal funding under the Affordable Care Act. Before her, Gov. Mark Sanford rejected some federal stimulus funds.
Trump’s assumption that he could wave a red wand over the state and turn the tide of a blue tsunami was consistent only with his capacious appetite for denial. Until Tuesday, he hadn’t yet absorbed the statistical evidence that a majority of Americans don’t like him. His strange behavior of late, the collateral damage of his war in Iran, his erratic tariffs and the effects of his policies on affordability have made him persona non grata across the country.
Ultimately, elections are about candidates, and Graham was a graceless contender who had little to offer and lacked her brother’s charm, which might have helped her woo voters away from Andrews. She was profane in her criticisms of her opponent, saying at a campaign rally that Andrews is “just plain ol’ batshit crazy” and telling liberals they can “kiss my ass.” Classy.
I’m not sure who was advising her on the stump, but Graham gained no traction by displaying such craven disrespect. Forgive my raised eyebrow, but well-mannered Southerners don’t cotton to public profanity, even if it’s everywhere, nor are they likely to confuse trash talk with wit. Dare I say, they’re especially unforgiving toward women.
Andrews clearly benefited from Graham’s ignorance and inexperience. But timing really is everything. As people have struggled to make ends meet, Trump’s appeal has dwindled. It is also possible that the reality of the president’s deceit, corruption and self-aggrandizement at the expense of everyday Americans was finally beginning to sink in.
Note, too, that Democrat Nancy Lacore, a retired Navy admiral fired by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, appears to be winning the House seat held by Republican Rep. Nancy Mace.
This doesn’t mean that South Carolina has turned completely blue. The governor’s race, unsurprisingly, went to Republican Alan Wilson, currently the state’s attorney general. Wilson defeated Democrat Jermaine Johnson, a state legislator, in a relatively close race. Wilson has served as the top prosecutor since 2011, becoming the longest-serving attorney general in state history. He replaces term-limited McMaster, who happens to be the longest-serving governor in state history.
In other words, South Carolinians are not generally fans of change. When they like someone, they tend to keep them around. When they toss someone out, as they did Lindsey Graham’s sister, something huge has happened here. Andrews is the first Democrat elected to the Senate since Ernest Hollings won reelection in 1998 and is the first woman elected to the Senate from South Carolina. That’s a change worth noting. But the change suggested by a Republican governor and a Democratic senator is a rebalancing of the political ecosystem, just as the universe and karma intended.
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