South Carolina Elects First Democratic Senator Since 1998, Ousting Graham

Columbia, S.C.: Annie Andrews, a pediatrician, won South Carolina's Senate seat on Tuesday, defeating Republican interim Sen. Darline Graham and becoming the first Democrat to take a Senate seat from the state since Fritz Hollings won his final term in 1998. She is also the first woman elected to represent South Carolina in the Senate.

The seat opened after Sen. Lindsey Graham died earlier this year while seeking his fifth term. His sister, Darline Graham, took the interim appointment, then won a contested Republican special primary with President Donald Trump's endorsement and campaign support. Andrews, who had campaigned for more than a year and had already won her own primary, shifted her general election strategy after Lindsey Graham's death and focused first on the Republican field, then on Graham after the GOP runoff. Republican groups put money into the race after she became the nominee.

At the candidates' only debate last month, Graham and Andrews argued over the economy, war with Iran and artificial intelligence, and each said the other lacked qualifications for the seat. Andrews had run against Rep. Nancy Mace in 2022 and lost, and she has held no elected office. A New York Times/Siena poll in October showed a close contest, which gave Democrats reason to argue the race was competitive. Polling had also shown a close race in 2020, when Lindsey Graham and Democrat Jaime Harrison and outside groups spent hundreds of millions of dollars in the state; Lindsey Graham won that race by 10 percentage points.

Brent Chaplin, who voted in Fort Mill, said he has backed GOP candidates but supported Andrews this time. "You just can't go and say, 'I'm a Republican. I'm just going to vote Republican,'" Chaplin said. "You've got to put some brain power into it and think about about it." He said he hoped the result would serve as a "wake-up" call to Republicans.

Republicans have held both of South Carolina's Senate seats since Hollings left office in 2005. Jim Clyburn is the only Democrat now representing the state in the U.S. House.