COLUMBIA, S.C. — Democrat Annie Andrews won South Carolina’s U.S. Senate race Tuesday, defeating Republican Sen. Darline Graham in a striking upset that broke through decades of Republican dominance in the state.
The Associated Press and NBC News projected Andrews the winner, delivering Democrats a significant Senate pickup in territory long considered reliably Republican. Andrews, a pediatrician, becomes the first woman elected to represent South Carolina in the Senate.
Her victory marks the first Democratic Senate election win in South Carolina since Fritz Hollings secured reelection in 1998. It also represents a substantial reversal in a state President Donald Trump carried by approximately 18 percentage points just two years ago.
An unexpected opening
The contest changed dramatically after longtime Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham died in July while seeking a fifth term.
Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Graham’s sister, Darline, to complete his term. She subsequently sought the Republican nomination for a full six-year term, winning an August runoff against U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman.
Trump backed her candidacy and campaigned in South Carolina. His involvement gave Graham powerful support, but it did not eliminate divisions left by the nomination fight. Andrews ultimately overcame both the presidential endorsement and the Republican advantage statewide.
Andrews builds a competitive campaign
Andrews, 45, entered the closing stretch with a campaign centered on healthcare affordability and household costs. Her background as a physician gave those issues a personal connection to her professional experience.
She also worked to reach beyond traditional Democratic voters. Former Republican Gov. David Beasley endorsed her, alongside former Democratic Gov. Jim Hodges, giving her evidence of support across party lines.
Late polling signaled that the race had become competitive. An October New York Times/Siena survey showed an essentially tied contest, challenging the assumption that Republicans would comfortably retain the seat.
Andrews’ fundraising helped sustain that challenge. Reuters reported that she raised $22 million more than Graham, while outside organizations poured tens of millions into the contest. Republicans were forced to defend a seat that had appeared secure earlier in the year.
A consequential Republican defeat
Graham’s loss raises questions about candidate selection, party unity and the limits of presidential endorsements. Her appointment gave her incumbency, but voters were deciding whether to entrust her with a full term after only months in office.
For Democrats, Andrews’ victory offers a meaningful gain in the battle for Senate control. It does not, by itself, determine the chamber’s majority, which remained unsettled as other races were counted Tuesday night.
South Carolina’s result also cautions against treating any party’s historical advantage as a guarantee. A competitive challenger, an unusual succession and a difficult national environment combined to create an opening Republicans could not close.
Andrews now faces the responsibility of representing a state where many voters remain strongly conservative. Her success in office will depend on turning the broad appeal of her campaign into a record those voters can judge.
On Tuesday, however, she accomplished what generations of South Carolina Democrats had struggled to achieve: winning a Senate election in one of the Republican Party’s strongest states.
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