Two former South Carolina governors from opposite parties jointly endorsed Democrat Annie Andrews for U.S. Senate on Monday. Republican David Beasley and Democrat Jim Hodges appeared together in a campaign video backing her bid against Sen. Darline Graham 12.
Andrews is a pediatrician. She is trying to flip a seat held by Graham, who is endorsed by President Donald Trump and is the sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham 1. Lindsey Graham died in July, and Darline Graham was appointed to his seat and then won the Republican special primary runoff 2.
Old rivals, one candidate
The two men once faced each other. Beasley served as governor from 1995 to 1999 and lost re-election to Hodges 1. Hodges defeated him in the 1998 race 2.
This country is too divided, and the political rhetoric has gotten way, way out of hand
Hodges said in the video that “That's why we're coming together to support Annie Andrews.” The two said they do not agree on everything, but agree she is the best candidate to put South Carolina first 1.
From Channel GOPAnnie Andrews makes her case to South CarolinaAnnie Andrews · 124 plays · captioned, with the source named
Beasley's break with his party is not new. Last week he wrote an opinion piece in the Charleston-based Post and Courier. In it he said the Republican Party under Trump is "not the party that I knew" 1.
What has happened in the Republican Party today is just heartbreaking
How close is the race?
Recent polling shows Graham still ahead, though not by much 12. An InsiderAdvantage survey of 1,200 likely voters on Sept. 28-29 had Graham at 46 percent and Andrews at 45 percent. The margin of error was plus or minus 2.83 percentage points 2.
The pollster, Matt Towery, said “almost 10% of Republicans” surveyed backed Andrews. He also pointed to stronger enthusiasm among Republican voters 2. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report has moved the race from “Likely Republican” to “Lean Republican” 1.
Andrews still faces a steep climb. Trump won South Carolina by nearly 18 percentage points in 2024. The state's last Democratic Senate victory came in 1998, when Fritz Hollings beat Republican Bob Inglis 2.
Andrews' campaign says more than 100 Republicans have joined its “Republicans for Annie” coalition. It also points to Warren Norman, son of Republican Rep. Ralph Norman, as a crossover supporter 2. Newsweek said it contacted the Andrews and Graham campaigns for comment on Monday. Its report did not include a response 2.
A wider pattern
South Carolina is not the only place where Republicans are crossing party lines. In Kansas, former Republican governors Bill Graves and Mike Hayden endorsed Democrat Adam Hamilton over Sen. Roger Marshall 1.
In Texas, Democrat James Talarico has public endorsements from more than 20 Republican leaders and members of the Bush family over Republican Ken Paxton 1. The Guardian also reports cross-party endorsements for Democrats in Georgia, Montana, Florida, Virginia, Illinois and South Dakota 1.
That matters because a close race can turn on small shifts. A former Republican governor's backing gives wary Republicans a public reason to consider a Democrat. Whether it is enough in a state Trump carried by nearly 18 points will be settled on Tuesday, Nov. 3 2.
The Record
- Democrat Jim Hodges defeated Republican David Beasley in South Carolina's governor race; the state's last Democratic Senate win also came that year 2.
- An InsiderAdvantage poll of 1,200 likely voters had Graham at 46% and Andrews at 45% 2.
- Beasley and Hodges released a joint video endorsing Andrews for U.S. Senate 12.
Sources
- The Guardian, “Ex-South Carolina governors endorse Democrat Annie Andrews in Senate race” (2026-10-26). theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/26/south-carolina-governors
- Newsweek, “Andrews Chances of Defeating Graham as Former GOP Governor Backs Democrat” (2026-10-26). newsweek.com/andrews-chances-of-defeating-graham-as-former-g
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