Democrat flips deep-red South Carolina Senate seat

Kathleen Hunter

South Carolina Democrat Annie Andrews, standing in front of an American flag. — Annie Andrews attends a campaign event in Mt. Pleasant, S.C., on Oct. 31. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

Democrat Annie Andrews pulled off a stunning upset in deep-red South Carolina, defeating Republican Sen. Darline Graham, AP projects.

Why it matters: Andrews' victory flips a longtime Republican stronghold and gives Democrats a crucial pickup in their battle for Senate control. It's the first time a Democrat has won a U.S. Senate race in the state since 1998.

President Trump carried South Carolina by nearly 18 points in 2024, underscoring the scale of the Democratic upset.

State of play: Andrews, a Charleston pediatrician, campaigned on health care and opposition to Republican Medicaid cuts, while courting independents and Republicans disillusioned with the GOP.

A late-October New York Times/Siena poll showed the candidates tied at 48%, a remarkable development in a state long considered safely Republican.
National Republican Senatorial Committee chair Sen. Tim Scott also comes from South Carolina.

Zoom out: Graham, the younger sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, was appointed to her brother's seat after his sudden death in July.

Trump backed her appointment and campaign for a full six-year term, helping her defeat Rep. Ralph Norman in a bitter special Republican primary runoff in August.
But Graham struggled to unite Republicans after the bruising primary, while questions about her political inexperience and grasp of national security issues dogged her campaign.
Axios reported in early October that the main super PAC supporting Republican Senate candidates was planning to inject $5 million as an "insurance policy" to boost Graham.

What's next: Graham's appointed term expires Jan. 3, when Andrews is set to take office.

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Democrat flips deep-red South Carolina Senate seat

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