Annie Andrews projected to win South Carolina Senate seat for Democrats

Democrat Annie Andrews is projected to defeat Republican Darline Graham in South Carolina’s US Senate election, according to reports published on November 4, 2026, by the BBC and the Guardian. The BBC describes the result as the state’s first election of a Democratic senator in almost three decades.¹²

A change in representation

According to the Guardian, Andrews will succeed the late Republican senator Lindsey Graham and will be the first woman South Carolina has elected to the Senate. Speaking at her victory gathering in Charleston, Andrews said: “I think we just made some history”.¹

The Guardian reports that Darline Graham conceded the election and acknowledged Donald Trump’s endorsement. Her candidacy followed the death of her brother Lindsey in July at the age of 71. Governor Henry McMaster appointed her to complete the remaining portion of his term, the newspaper says.¹

The campaign and its divisions

Trump publicly encouraged Graham to enter the race and campaigned on her behalf, according to the Guardian. The BBC characterises her as Trump’s chosen candidate to succeed her brother. The Guardian reports that her nomination came in mid-September, leaving the first-time candidate six or seven weeks to campaign.¹²

The contest included differences over foreign policy. According to the Guardian, Graham said she trusted Trump’s approach to tariffs and the war with Iran. Andrews described that war as illegal and criticised its impact on petrol prices; in September, she said she wanted a route out of the conflict.¹

Graham also faced opposition within her party. The Guardian reports that outgoing Republican representative Ralph Norman declined to endorse her and said she lacked the qualifications for the job. A write-in effort backing Norman developed among voters on the party’s conservative wing, according to the newspaper.¹

Turnout and the wider result

The Guardian reports a five-point margin for Andrews, after a New York Times/Siena poll taken the previous week put both candidates at 48%. It also reports that Andrews raised $24.2 million for her campaign, compared with Graham’s $1.9 million.¹

The newspaper attributes a key role to turnout, reporting that half a million of the 2024 presidential electorate–400,000 of them Republicans–did not cast ballots in the midterm. It reports stronger-than-expected participation by Black voters and other groups that traditionally support Democrats, alongside more Republicans staying home.¹

The Senate outcome did not extend across the statewide ballot. According to the Guardian, Republicans won the governorship and offices including lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer and attorney general. Republican state Senate majority leader Shane Massey interpreted Andrews’s victory as dissatisfaction with the alternative rather than evidence that South Carolina had become Democratic.¹