Democrat Annie Andrews wins South Carolina Senate election over Darline Graham

Democrat Dr. Annie Andrews has defeated Republican candidate Darline Graham in the South Carolina United States Senate election, according to reports from NPR, Courthouse News Service, hngnews.com, and The New York Times. The BBC and The Guardian both reported that this marks the first time a Democrat has won a Senate election in South Carolina in almost three decades, with the seat held by Republicans since 1998. [1][2][3][4][5][10][11]

The BBC reported that Graham was handpicked by President Donald Trump to take the seat following the death of her brother, the late Senator Lindsey Graham. NPR noted that Graham was the incumbent candidate. During the primary campaign, Graham acknowledged her lack of political experience after struggling with a foreign policy question during a debate, stating that national security was not her area of expertise, according to the BBC. [1][4]

In a victory speech cited by the BBC, Andrews told supporters that voters had demonstrated they would not bow down in an era of partisan divides and politics dominated by insiders. Andrews is a pediatrician who becomes the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from South Carolina. [4][13]

As FTMQ Politics reported earlier, President Trump had campaigned twice in South Carolina in the final stretch to support Graham, while Senate Majority PAC increased digital advertising spending for Andrews as polling showed a tight race. [15]

In other South Carolina elections, Decision Desk HQ projected that Republican Attorney General Alan Wilson won the governor race against Democratic state Representative Jermaine Johnson, according to The Hill. The Hill also reported that Democrat Nancy Lacore, a former Navy Admiral, is projected to win South Carolina's 1st Congressional District against Republican Jenny Costa Honeycutt. [6][7]