Democrat Annie Andrews beat Republican Senator Darline Graham in South Carolina on Tuesday, flipping a Senate seat Republicans had held for 28 years. Andrews, a Charleston pediatrician, won by about five points in a state President Donald Trump carried by 18 points in 2024.
The loss set off open finger-pointing inside the state Republican Party. Some blamed Trump for backing Graham, a political novice, after the death of her brother, former Senator Lindsey Graham. Others accused Graham’s team of pushing her to run despite her lack of experience, according to the New York Times.
Graham was appointed by Governor Henry McMaster in July to finish her brother’s term, then won a Republican primary runoff with Trump’s endorsement. Trump campaigned for her in person, holding rallies in Pendleton and Rock Hill in the closing weeks.
Voters split their tickets on the same ballot. Republicans won the governor’s race and other statewide offices by similar margins, while Andrews carried Berkeley County by nine points, a county Trump won by about 16 in 2024.
Andrews becomes the first Democrat to win a South Carolina Senate seat since Fritz Hollings in 1998, and the first woman elected to the Senate from the state.
Source: The New York Times
