Democratic nominee Annie Andrews, a pediatrician from the Charleston area, won election to the U.S. Senate from South Carolina on Tuesday night, defeating Republican incumbent Darline Graham for a stunning result in a traditionally red state.
The outcome is the first Democratic Senate victory in the state since 1998 and the first time a woman has been elected to the seat. Graham had been appointed this past July to complete the term of her brother, the late Senator Lindsey Graham.
Prior to entering politics, Andrews worked as a pediatric hospitalist and professor at the Medical University of South Carolina Children’s Hospital for roughly 14 years. She previously sought South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District seat in 2022, but was defeated by Republican Rep. Nancy Mace.
Darline Graham Nordone was appointed by Governor Henry McMaster on July 13, two days after Lindsey Graham’s death from an aortic dissection on July 11. The appointment allowed her to serve the remainder of the term ending in January 2027, as the late Graham had already won his Senate primary. She then won a special Republican primary runoff against U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman and campaigned with support from President Donald Trump, who held multiple rallies in the state on her behalf.
The race tightened in the final weeks; a late New York Times/Siena poll showed the candidates effectively tied, and nonpartisan ratings shifted from lean Republican toward toss-up status. Andrews also raised substantially more campaign funds than Graham, while outside groups spent tens of millions on both sides.
Andrews has received 918,263 votes or 51.0%, compared to Graham’s 842,905 votes or 46.8%. Independent candidate Kasie Whitener trails with 19,737 votes or 1.1%. With 86.3% of the expected vote counted and approximately 287,000 votes remaining, Andrews holds a lead of 75,358 votes.
Results from urban and coastal counties, including Charleston, contributed to the early margin, while rural and upstate areas continued reporting.
The result ends a long Republican stretch in the seat. Republican Tim Scott won reelection in 2022 with 62.9 percent of the vote. The last Democratic Senate win in South Carolina occurred in 1998, when incumbent Fritz Hollings defeated Republican Bob Inglis by about 7 points. I
In the 2024 presidential election, Donald Trump carried South Carolina by 17.9 points, receiving 58.2 percent of the vote to Kamala Harris’ 40.4 percent. A Democratic Senate win in a state with that recent presidential margin constitutes a clear departure from recent patterns.
Nationally, the South Carolina result forms part of a broader set of Democratic gains in the 2026 midterm elections. Republicans entered the night holding a 53-47 Senate majority — including two independents who caucus with Democrats — and a narrow House majority.
Democrats flipped the North Carolina Senate seat with former Governor Roy Cooper and defended seats in Georgi and New Hampshire. Additional contests in states such as Texas, Michigan, Kansas and Ohio remained competitive as counts continued.
Andrews’ election, if the unofficial lead holds through final certification, places a first-term Democratic senator from South Carolina in office alongside Republican Tim Scott. The full certified results and any potential recounts or legal challenges will determine the official margin.
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