Democrat Annie Andrews wins SC Senate race in major upset over Darline Graham
The sister of late Sen. Lindsey Graham was appointed to fill his seat and endorsed by President Donald Trump to replace him, but she lost in the conservative state.
Phillip M. BaileyDemocrat Annie Andrews pulled off arguably the biggest upset of the 2026 midterms on Nov. 3, defeating Republican Sen. Darline Graham for the South Carolina U.S. Senate seat once held by her late brother.
Both Decision Desk HQ and NBC called the race for Andrews, a pediatrician, less than three hours after the polls closed.
The result marked a stunning turn and came as Democrats showed strength in Republican strongholds across the country.
A Democrat had not won a Senate race in the Palmetto State since 1998, and most experts initially wrote off Andrews, a 45-year-old mother of three.
But the race tightened in the home stretch and polls showed the contest tied in the final days as Republicans failed to unify behind President Donald Trump's handpicked nominee. Darline Graham's brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, a stalwart conservative with the White House's ear, died earlier this year.