President Trump went to Pendleton, S.C., on Wednesday night, Oct. 21, to rally for Republican Sen. Darline Graham. Her race has turned unexpectedly close less than two weeks before the Nov. 3 election 12. It was his second trip to South Carolina in three months 1.
Graham is the sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham. Polls show her about even with Democrat Annie Andrews, a pediatrician, in a state Trump won by nearly 18 percentage points in 2024 2. Democrats have not won a Senate race in South Carolina since 1998 2.
How the seat opened up
The Associated Press reports that Lindsey Graham died in July of an aortic tear. He had been on track to win a fifth term 3. Darline Graham used to run the state agency for the blind. She was appointed to serve out the rest of her brother's term with support from both parties, and Trump backed the choice 3.
Trump soon endorsed her for a full six-year term. That angered other Republicans who wanted the seat 2. She won the Aug. 25 Republican runoff against U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman with about 52% of the vote 7. Andrews had already won the Democratic primary on June 9 7.
What the polls and the money show
A Trafalgar Group poll taken before the candidates' Oct. 11 debate had Graham at 49% and Andrews at 46% among likely voters. Libertarian Kasie Whitener had 4% 1. Al Jazeera, citing the RealClearPolitics polling average, put Graham's lead at about 2.7 points 5. The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan analyst, moved the race from "likely Republican" to "lean Republican" 1.
The money has followed. More than $34 million has been spent on the race, according to the AP 3. Reuters looked at federal filings and found that outside Republican groups have spent $9.7 million in South Carolina since Oct. 1 2. About 192,000 South Carolinians had already voted by Tuesday, early in the state's two-week window for early voting, which is open to anyone with no excuse needed 1.
A rally with interruptions
Protesters interrupted Trump again and again. NBC News counted at least four interruptions, and Trump claimed the protesters were paid 4. A rallygoer threw a punch at a protester, and police removed several people 4. Trump said from the stage, "The guy stood up and he got whacked, man" 1.
Trump also called Andrews an anti-transgender slur 41. Andrews is not transgender. She has said she opposes gender-affirming surgery for minors and opposes transgender athletes competing in women's sports 4. She answered the insult earlier this month by pointing to prices 1.
If name calling would help lower gas prices and grocery prices, he can call me all the names he wants
Health care and household bills
Andrews has built her campaign around the cost of living. She has called for stopping cuts to Medicaid, the federal-state health program for people with low incomes, and for fixing the health care system. She also wants to bring down prescription drug prices 7. The two candidates disagreed on health care at their only debate, on Oct. 11 3.
Graham spoke about health care at a campaign stop in Georgetown County on Oct. 5. She said she is "not for government run health care for all because that's going to drive up our national debt" 6. She also spoke directly about older voters 6.
I understand that some people need Medicaid, vulnerable people, some of the elderly people, seniors need Medicare.
Andrews has questioned whether Graham is ready for the job. At the debate, Graham said she was "not that informed on national security" 35. Andrews told NBC News who her campaign is aimed at 4.
If you care more about your bills than the politics in Washington, this campaign is for you
A split over Russia
Last week, just days before they were set to take effect, Trump waived most of the sanctions and tariffs on Russia that were tied to the war in Ukraine 3. They came from a law named after Lindsey Graham, a leading Republican supporter of Ukraine 32. Darline Graham has said she disagrees with the president and would rather pressure Russia to end the war 2.
I don't trust Putin, and I don't trust Russia.
She is not the only Republican who objects. Maine Sen. Susan Collins said Wednesday that Trump should reverse the waiver 4.
Why it matters
Republicans now hold the Senate 53 to 47. To win control, Democrats need a net gain of four seats 2. When a president has to spend a night shoring up a seat in a state he won by 18 points, the map is getting bigger for Democrats, not smaller.
The national mood is part of the story. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 31% of Americans approve of Trump's job performance, a record low for him 2. Rep. Nancy Mace, a South Carolina Republican, told Reuters that Trump has to fire up his base, and warned that Republicans lose if their voters stay home 2. Republican strategist Rob Godfrey still expects Graham to win, but he called the race closer than expected 2.
The pattern is clear. Graham is leaning on Trump's popularity with Republican voters who have known her for only about three months 1. Andrews is betting that grocery, gas and medical bills matter more to voters than party labels, and she has published a list of Republicans who back her 1.
The Record
- Annie Andrews wins South Carolina's Democratic Senate primary 7
- Darline Graham defeats Rep. Ralph Norman in the Republican runoff with about 52% of the vote 7
- Graham and Andrews meet for their only debate and disagree on health care 3
- Trump rallies for Graham in Pendleton, his second trip to South Carolina in three months 1
- Midterm Election Day; Republicans hold the Senate 53 to 47 going in 2
Sources
- South Carolina Public Radio, “Trump returns to South Carolina for 2nd time in 3 months to help Darline Graham in Senate race” (2026-10-21). southcarolinapublicradio.org/sc-news/2026-10-21/trump-return
- Reuters (via Yahoo News), “Trump to rally for Graham in tight South Carolina Senate race amid Russia rift” (2026-10-21). yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/trump-rally-graham-tight-so
- AP (via ABC News 4), “President Trump hosts South Carolina rally for US Senate candidate Darline Graham” (2026-10-21). abcnews4.com/newsletter-daily/donald-trump-south-carolina-se
- NBC News, “Live updates: Trump campaigns for Sen. Darline Graham in South Carolina” (2026-10-21). nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/live-blog/trump-so
- Al Jazeera, “Trump heads to South Carolina to boost Senator Darline Graham in race” (2026-10-21). aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/21/trump-heads-to-south-carolina-
- ABC News 4, “GOP Senate nominee Darline Graham talks health care, affordability in Georgetown” (2026-10-05). abcnews4.com/news/local/gop-senate-nominee-darline-graham-ra
- WBTV, “Dr. Annie Andrews aims to become South Carolina's first Democratic US senator in years” (2026-08-26). wbtv.com/2026/08/26/dr-annie-andrews-aims-become-south-carol
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