Democrat Annie Andrews has defeated appointed Republican Sen. Darline Graham, the younger sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, according to the Fox News Decision Desk. Andrews will serve a six-year term representing South Carolina in the Senate.
The upset makes Andrews, a pediatrician who campaigned as an outsider, the first Democrat in nearly 30 years to win a Senate election in the state.
Graham’s familiar name and two late campaign appearances by President Donald Trump were not enough to secure a victory in the strongly Republican state.
The race tightened in the final weeks, as outside groups on both sides poured money and resources into the contest. After several nonpartisan election forecasters shifted their ratings toward Democrats, Trump traveled to South Carolina less than two weeks before Election Day to rally for Graham.
“She’s smart and incredible. She’ll never let you down,” Trump said at an Oct. 21 campaign stop in the state’s Upstate region.
Democratic strategist Mally Smith said South Carolina voters had rejected Trump’s preferred candidate. Smith argued that voters were tired of electing politicians who support Trump’s agenda and behavior.
Graham’s campaign focused on backing Trump’s agenda, continuing her brother’s work in the Senate and addressing the cost of living. In a recent interview, she said she understood the strain of living paycheck to paycheck and pointed to high gas prices as a concern for South Carolinians.
She supported temporarily suspending the gas tax and said easing rules for red-dyed diesel could help farmers. In her view, though, the longer-term answer was to reduce regulations on drilling and oil refineries.
Andrews also made affordability and health care costs central to her campaign, drawing on her experience treating children and working with families. She said her two decades as a pediatrician had given her a close view of problems in the U.S. health care system, which she brought with her on the campaign trail.
After Lindsey Graham died suddenly in July, Republican Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Darline Graham to serve out the remainder of his term, which ends this year.
Lindsey Graham had won renomination in the state’s June primary before his death. With Trump’s backing, Darline Graham later entered a special Republican primary to succeed her brother. She defeated Rep. Ralph Norman in an August runoff after the two advanced from a crowded field of 10 candidates.
