Democrat Annie Andrews is projected to defeat Republican Sen. Darline Graham in the South Carolina Senate race.

The projected flip is the first enormous upset in the Senate on Tuesday night.

Decision Desk HQ made the call at 9:54 p.m. EST.

CBS News shared further:

Andrews, 45, is a pediatrician and campaigned on healthcare access and affordability, along with fighting corruption in Washington. She faced off against Graham, the incumbent senator who was appointed to serve out the remainder of her brother Lindsey Graham’s term after his sudden death in July.

Darline Graham, 62, most recently served as commissioner of the South Carolina Commission for the Blind, before she was appointed to the Senate. She went on to win a special primary election to take her brother’s place on the ballot to represent South Carolina for a full six-year term.

ADVERTISEMENT

Andrews faced an uphill battle in a state that hasn’t elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1998, and which President Trump won by 18 points in 2024. She criticized Darline Graham for lacking experience, pointing to comments she made during the condensed primary, when she said she was “not that informed on national security.”

The race, which grew much more competitive than expected, forced Republicans to come to Graham’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 Mr. Trump, also gave Graham $827,000 in August, and he personally campaigned heavily for Graham after encouraging her to run for the seat. But the efforts fell short amid a difficult environment for Republicans.

According to CBS News, Andrews led Graham 51.0 percent to 46.9 percent with 87 percent of the votes tallied.

The Hill has more:

The results are a blow to Trump, who has said he recommended the late senator’s sister as an interim replacement, and he later called on her to run for a full term. As she campaigned, Graham touted her alignment with the president as she batted back criticisms about her lack of political experience.

Trump stumped for Graham and other Republicans in the Palmetto State in the closing days of the campaign.

Graham was close with her brother and a key fixture in his political life, though she had neer held political office before her Senate appointment. Andrews’s win ends her tenure as the first woman and first graduate from a historically Black college or university to represent South Carolina in the Senate.

Both of South Carolina’s Senate seats have been red for decades, and Republicans dominate the state’s House seats and presidential races.

 

Join The Conversation. Leave a Comment.