Democrat Annie Andrews projected to flip South Carolina Senate seat

Democrat Annie Andrews, a pediatrician, is projected to win South Carolina's Senate race, defeating Republican Sen. Darline Graham, according to Decision Desk HQ ¹ and CBS News ². The result is an unexpected Democratic pickup in a state that has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1998 and that President Trump won by 18 points in 2024 ².

Andrews, 45, campaigned on healthcare access and affordability and on fighting corruption in Washington ². She launched her campaign last year with a video featuring an X-ray of a child with measles pneumonia, pointing out the disease could have been prevented by vaccination ¹.

Graham, 62, was appointed to the Senate to serve the remainder of her brother Lindsey Graham's term after his sudden death in July, and she won a special primary election to take his place on the ballot for a full six-year term ². She had most recently served as commissioner of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind ².

Graham faced skepticism from conservatives in her own party because of her friendship with former state Sen. Katrina Shealy, who lost her reelection bid in 2024 after she helped block a near-total abortion ban and opposed a ban on abortion after six weeks that ultimately became state law ¹. Some Republicans also questioned Graham's fitness for office after she said during a GOP primary debate that she did not know Taiwan's relevance to U.S. national security ¹.

From Channel GOPAnnie Andrews makes her case to South CarolinaAnnie Andrews · 124 plays · captioned, with the source named

National security is not my thing, not my area of expertise, but I do support the military.

Andrews criticized Graham for lacking experience, pointing to comments she made during the condensed primary when she said she was "not that informed on national security" ². Graham aligned herself closely with the president, who vocally supported her candidacy, showing up at rallies and via social media posts ¹.

At the most recent rally for Graham on October 21, Trump described Andrews as a "radical left lunatic" and used a slur for transgender people ¹. Andrews is not transgender and, like many Democrats this election cycle, has come out against trans women's participation in women's sports, telling the New York Times she is against "biological men" competing ¹.

The race grew much more competitive than expected, forcing Republicans to come to Graham's aid with a $5 million investment in October from the Senate Leadership Fund, the main Republican super PAC ². MAGA Inc., a super PAC controlled by Trump, also gave Graham $827,000 in August, and he personally campaigned heavily for her after encouraging her to run for the seat ². But the efforts fell short amid a difficult environment for Republicans ².

What Andrews said about the race

I never in a million years, when I was in medical school, thought that I would be running for the U.S. Senate and also talking about measles nearly every single day.

With Andrews' projected victory, Democrats secure an unexpected pickup as they look to flip the Senate ². That matters because every flipped seat changes the math in the fight for control of the chamber, where Republicans currently hold the majority.

The Record

1. Nov 5, 2024Trump won South Carolina by 18 points in the 2024 presidential election ².
2. Jul 1, 2026Sen. Lindsey Graham died suddenly in July; Darline Graham was later appointed to serve the remainder of his term ¹².
3. Oct 21, 2026At a rally for Darline Graham, Trump described Andrews as a "radical left lunatic" and used a slur for transgender people ¹.
4. Nov 4, 2026Decision Desk HQ and CBS News project Annie Andrews wins the South Carolina Senate race ¹².

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<h2>Democrat Annie Andrews projected to flip South Carolina Senate seat</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Campaign Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/democrat-annie-andrews-projected-to-flip-south-carolina-senate-seat">The GOP Files</a> on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.</em></p> <p>Democrat Annie Andrews, a pediatrician, is projected to win South Carolina&#39;s Senate race, defeating Republican Sen. Darline Graham, according to Decision Desk HQ and CBS News . The result is an unexpected Democratic pickup in a state that has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1998 and that President Trump won by 18 points in 2024 .</p> <p>Andrews, 45, campaigned on healthcare access and affordability and on fighting corruption in Washington . She launched her campaign last year with a video featuring an X-ray of a child with measles pneumonia, pointing out the disease could have been prevented by vaccination .</p> <p>Graham, 62, was appointed to the Senate to serve the remainder of her brother Lindsey Graham&#39;s term after his sudden death in July, and she won a special primary election to take his place on the ballot for a full six-year term . She had most recently served as commissioner of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind .</p> <p>Graham faced skepticism from conservatives in her own party because of her friendship with former state Sen. Katrina Shealy, who lost her reelection bid in 2024 after she helped block a near-total abortion ban and opposed a ban on abortion after six weeks that ultimately became state law . Some Republicans also questioned Graham&#39;s fitness for office after she said during a GOP primary debate that she did not know Taiwan&#39;s relevance to U.S. national security .</p> <blockquote><p>National security is not my thing, not my area of expertise, but I do support the military.</p><p>&mdash; Darline Graham, Republican senator from South Carolina</p></blockquote> <p>Andrews criticized Graham for lacking experience, pointing to comments she made during the condensed primary when she said she was &quot;not that informed on national security&quot; . Graham aligned herself closely with the president, who vocally supported her candidacy, showing up at rallies and via social media posts .</p> <p>At the most recent rally for Graham on October 21, Trump described Andrews as a &quot;radical left lunatic&quot; and used a slur for transgender people . Andrews is not transgender and, like many Democrats this election cycle, has come out against trans women&#39;s participation in women&#39;s sports, telling the New York Times she is against &quot;biological men&quot; competing .</p> <p>The race grew much more competitive than expected, forcing Republicans to come to Graham&#39;s aid with a $5 million investment in October from the Senate Leadership Fund, the main Republican super PAC . MAGA Inc., a super PAC controlled by Trump, also gave Graham $827,000 in August, and he personally campaigned heavily for her after encouraging her to run for the seat . But the efforts fell short amid a difficult environment for Republicans .</p> <h2>What Andrews said about the race</h2> <blockquote><p>I never in a million years, when I was in medical school, thought that I would be running for the U.S. Senate and also talking about measles nearly every single day.</p><p>&mdash; Annie Andrews, Democratic Senate candidate from South Carolina</p></blockquote> <p>With Andrews&#39; projected victory, Democrats secure an unexpected pickup as they look to flip the Senate . That matters because every flipped seat changes the math in the fight for control of the chamber, where Republicans currently hold the majority.</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/democrat-annie-andrews-projected-to-flip-south-carolina-senate-seat">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/democrat-annie-andrews-projected-to-flip-south-carolina-senate-seat.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. The 19th, “Democrat Annie Andrews flips South Carolina Senate seat” (2026-11-04). 19thnews.org/2026/11/election-results-south-carolina-senate/
2. CBS News, “Democrat Annie Andrews wins South Carolina Senate race” (2026-11-04). cbsnews.com/news/south-carolina-2026-senate-annie-andrews-da

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