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Dr. Annie Andrews answers questions from members of the media after greeting poll workers on Election Day at the Royal Missionary Baptist Church on Tuesday. Win McNamee/Getty Images hide caption
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Democrat Annie Andrews has defeated GOP Sen. Darline Graham in South Carolina's Senate race, according to a race call by the Associated Press.
Andrews, a pediatrician, becomes the first woman to win a Senate election in South Carolina, and the first Democratic Senator elected in the state since 1998. It's a stunning upset in a state that President Trump won by nearly 18 points in 2024, and a critical pickup for Democrats hoping to regain control of the Senate.
Graham was appointed to the seat after the death of her brother, longtime Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham , in July. She was a key vote for Trump in recent months, fighting Democratic efforts to reign in Trump's war powers and confirming Todd Blanche as Attorney General.
However, she faced a tough political landscape for Republicans, as Trump's approval ratings hit record lows in the weeks before the midterms, driven largely by opposition to the war in Iran, the president's tariff policies and high energy prices.
Andrews made affordability issues central to her campaign, arguing that she would fight to end tax breaks for the wealthy, raise wages and push for affordable child care. She also drew on her career as a pediatrician, and said her experience treating patients who faced financial barriers to health care was a major factor that pushed her into politics.
"I would diagnose kids with common chronic diseases like asthma and diabetes, and I found that while I would explain my treatment plan to the parents so often, they would say, 'Well, how much is that inhaler going to cost?' Or 'How much is that insulin going to cost?'" Andrews told NPR in an interview last month. "No parent in America should have to be thinking about their pocketbook when they're hearing news that their child has a chronic illness."
The South Carolina race is key to Democrats' hopes to flip Senate control. Democrats need to net four seats to win the majority. A favorable political landscape boosted Democrats in battleground states like North Carolina — where Democratic former Gov. Roy Cooper won another key Senate race — and expanded the competitive map to include seats in redder states like South Carolina, Kansas and Texas.
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Democratic Senate candidate Annie Andrews is projected to win the South Carolina Senate seat in the deep red state, beating her Republican opponent Sen. Darline Graham, whom President Trump endorsed following the death of former Senator Lindsey Graham.
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Democrats notched an upset victory in South Carolina’s Senate race , NBC News projects, with Annie Andrews toppling Republican Sen. Darline Graham, who was appointed this year to succeed her late brother, longtime Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Andrews, a pediatrician, will be the state’s first Democratic senator in more than 20 years. President Donald Trump carried South Carolina by more than 17 percentage points two years ago.
Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Darline Graham, a former administrator in state government, in July after Lindsey Graham, a five-term senator and stalwart fixture of Washington, died suddenly because of a heart problem.
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Darline Graham then decided to run for a full term, starting in a special primary election, but she soon drew criticism for lacking fluency on some policy issues. She admitted in a debate with a Republican rival that she was “not that informed on national security,” though she went on to win the GOP nomination.
Although the race was seen as a long shot for Democrats, Graham’s weaknesses prompted the Cook Political Report to shift it in September from “solidly” Republican to “likely” Republican. Meanwhile, Andrews significantly outraised and outspent Graham, who had to start her campaign from scratch mid-election cycle.
In the final pre-election fundraising period, Andrews’ campaign raised more than $4 million, mostly from online donors, and spent over $4.6 million in two weeks. Graham’s campaign raised about $90,000 and spent $65,000.
The race attracted a surge in outside spending in the closing stretch. The Senate Leadership Fund, a GOP super PAC, spent $13 million to boost Graham, while the Senate Majority PAC, which is aligned with Democratic leadership, announced a last-minute $750,000 digital buy.
Andrews and Graham traded barbs in a debate last month, with Graham accusing Andrews of being unwilling to “stand up to socialist Democrats,” while Andrews said Graham was little more than a rubber stamp for Trump’s agenda. Andrews said she supported the Second Amendment — but Graham noted that Andrews has been a senior adviser to Everytown, the prominent gun control advocacy group.
Andrews has also been accused of backpedaling on previous language signaling emphatic support for transgender people. Graham said Andrews has been “deceiving the people of South Carolina” and has “flip-flopped on everything.”
Graham also made a notable break from Trump last month after he announced he would waive sanctions against Russia, going around a new law that was named for her brother.
“Personally, I would choose to put the pressure on Russia to end the war and get gas prices down,” Graham told reporters at a campaign event. “Because I don’t trust Putin, and I don’t trust Russia.”
Her remarks came even as Trump was scheduled to appear at a campaign stop for her in the state.
Rob Wile is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist covering breaking business stories for NBCNews.com.
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