Democrat Annie Andrews will unseat GOP Sen. Darline Graham in South Carolina, CNN projects

CNN

By Dianne Gallagher

Democrat Annie Andrews will win the U.S. Senate race in South Carolina, CNN’s Decision Desk projects, defeating Sen. Darline Graham and flipping a seat that Republicans have held for nearly three decades.

Andrews, a pediatrician, will become the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from South Carolina. The last time a Democrat won a Senate race in the Palmetto State was Fritz Hollings in 1998.

It’s a stunning upset in a typically reliably Republican state that voted for President Donald Trump by nearly 18 percentage points in 2024, but also one that had been building since Graham became the GOP nominee in late August.

Andrews, a 45-year-old mother of three, worked at Medical University of South Carolina for 15 years. She later started a nonprofit and political action committee and worked as a senior adviser to Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action.

Andrews launched her Senate campaign last year acknowledging the uphill battle she faced running as a Democrat in South Carolina. She was originally running against GOP incumbent Sen. Lindsey Graham until he suddenly died in July.

The governor appointed Darline Graham to finish her brother’s term, and she decided to run for the full term. With the help and backing of Trump, Graham eventually made it through a bruising special primary and runoff to become the GOP nominee. But the party didn’t immediately unite behind Graham and her campaign struggled, needing help from outside groups.

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