Democrat Annie Andrews defeated Republican Darline Graham on Tuesday to win South Carolina’s US Senate seat, breaking a streak of GOP victories in the state that stretched back nearly three decades.
Andrews, a 45-year-old pediatrician, is the first Democrat to win a Senate race in South Carolina since 1998. Her win denies Graham a full six-year term and ends her bid to continue the political legacy of her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died suddenly on July 11 at age 71.
Darline Graham, 62, was appointed to the seat by Gov. Henry McMaster after her brother’s death. The appointment made her the first woman to represent South Carolina in the US Senate. Before taking office, she had spent nearly 30 years in lower-profile state government positions, most recently leading the South Carolina Commission for the Blind.
A Different Kind of Senator
Unlike her brother, who built a national reputation on foreign policy and national security — including strong support for continued US aid to Ukraine — Darline Graham made clear she intended to focus on domestic concerns.
“National security is not my thing,” she said during a debate with Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) ahead of the special primary held in August.
Graham ran on a conservative platform centered on immigration enforcement, gun rights and opposition to abortion. She did break from President Trump on one key issue, saying she did not trust Russian President Vladimir Putin after Trump waived sanctions on Russia.
That disagreement did not stop Trump from backing her campaign. He endorsed Graham in the special primary and campaigned with her in the race’s closing weeks, framing the contest as a measure of his political standing in a state he carried by nearly 18 percentage points in 2024.
Health Care and Affordability Drove Andrews’ Message
Andrews built her campaign around health care access and the cost of living, issues that resonated amid broader voter frustration with Washington. That frustration appeared to work against Republicans nationally, as the party had hoped to protect its Senate majority this cycle.
As polling tightened in the race’s final stretch, outside Republican groups spent heavily to try to secure Graham’s win. Some GOP operatives reportedly voiced concerns privately about weaknesses in her candidacy, even as the party publicly rallied behind her.
Andrews’ victory marks a significant shift in a state that has been reliably Republican in statewide races for a generation.
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