Darline Graham agrees to SCETV debate with Annie Andrews
Sen. Darline Graham, R-South Carolina, has agreed to debate Charleston pediatrician Annie Andrews as the two compete for the U.S. Senate seat.
Graham and Andrews have agreed to participate in a debate hosted by SCETV on Oct. 11, the first debate scheduled between the candidates. Andrews has repeatedly called for a debate with Graham, launching a campaign website, debatemedarline.com, that urges her opponent to accept debate invitations.
Graham was appointed to serve in the U.S. Senate after her brother Lindsey Graham's death, and she later announced her campaign for a full six-year term. She won a special runoff election against U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, R-District 5, on Aug. 25 for the GOP Senate nomination.
More: Annie Andrews launches website daring Graham to SC Senate debate
In a statement, Graham said she will take to the debate stage to "expose Annie Andrews' radical positions." Graham has criticized Andrews' policy stances throughout her campaign and has framed her as a radical candidate, which Andrews disputes.
"This is your seat, South Carolina, and it will be my honor to show you why I am ready to continue serving you and representing our conservative values in Washington," Graham said in a statement.
Andrews responded to Graham's decision to accept the SCETV debate, which said voters deserve to see the candidates debate side by side so they can make a judgement on which candidate to support. She also urged Graham to accept invitations from three other outlets that have expressed interest in holding a debate: FOX Carolina, WCBD and WYFF.
"I'm eager to finally see Darline on the campaign trail and show South Carolinians exactly why I'm the best person to fight for them in the U.S. Senate."
Bella Carpentier covers the South Carolina legislature, state, and Greenville County politics. Contact her at bcarpentier@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Darline Graham agrees to SCETV debate with Annie Andrews