Annie Andrews upsets Darline Graham in South Carolina

Sen. Darline Graham (R-SC) lost her bid for a full term to Democratic opponent Dr. Annie Andrews, a stunning upset to hand Democrats a crucial seat in their quest to flip the upper chamber.The Palmetto State’s Senate race was marked by the sudden death of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, the brother of Darline Graham. President Donald Trump endorsed Darline Graham to succeed her brother permanently in the seat, after she was first appointed on an interim basis. She nonetheless prevailed in a special primary over Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC). Trump rallied in South Carolina on behalf of Graham, a political novice, in the waning days of the primary, helping defeat Norman.But the general election race proved to be more competitive than expected. Democrats are hoping to ride a wave of discontent with the Trump administration to retake control of the House and Senate. Blowback from the Iran war has made traditional red states more competitive and caused the GOP to spend precious funds defending Republican candidates.Norman blamed Trump for the close race and claimed that if he had been the nominee, the state of the race would have been a layup for the GOP. Norman said he would vote for Graham, fulfilling an earlier promise, but also stated his family may not vote for Graham.The Cook Political Report changed the rating of the South Carolina Senate race from “likely Republican” to “lean Republican,” in a state that Trump won by nearly 18 percentage points in 2024.Trump again rallied for Graham in late October as part of a multiday, multistate tour to boost GOP turnout before the midterm elections. He also caused some controversy when he called Andrews an anti-transgender slur on social media in early October.“Annie ‘Trannie’ Andrews is running against our wonderful Darline Graham for the Senate in South Carolina,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Darline is a High Quality person, maybe the Highest, and Annie Trannie is not, in particular, as it pertains to representing the Values of the Great People of South Carolina.”2026 MIDTERM ELECTIONS LIVE UPDATES: LATEST NEWS, RESULTS AND ANALYSISIn the sole debate between Graham and Andrews, the two women traded blows over artificial intelligence and data center construction, the nation’s debt problem, and Social Security.In the final federal election commission reports before the election, Andrews raised $9.4 million in the third quarter and had $2.3 million on hand at the end of September. Graham raised $1.8 million since her campaign launched in July and had $610,000 on hand during the same time period.