A US Senate contest in South Carolina, one of the nation’s most reliably Republican states, has tightened considerably heading into the final stretch of the campaign. A New York Times/Siena poll released this week indicates Democratic candidate Annie Andrews and Republican incumbent senator Darline Graham are deadlocked at 48% support each. The state has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1998, and Donald Trump carried it by nearly 18 percentage points in 2024.
Graham was appointed to the seat after her brother, Lindsey Graham, died in July. She entered the race at Trump’s urging despite having no previous experience in elected office. Her lack of electoral background has emerged as a central campaign issue, particularly following an August debate in which she acknowledged being “not that informed on national security” when discussing US policy toward Taiwan. According to the Times/Siena poll, 51% of voters expressed doubts about whether she possesses adequate experience to serve effectively as senator. Trump held a rally in the state to support Graham, with the president attacking Andrews and characterizing her as a “radical left lunatic.”
Andrews, a pediatrician from Charleston, has constructed her campaign around her medical background. She has advocated for a public option and reduced prescription drug costs while notably distancing herself from the Democratic Party’s progressive wing. She has stated opposition to the Medicare for All model and acknowledged that Democrats have faltered on border policy. She has also declined to identify a national Democratic figure she would campaign alongside. This positioning appears resonant with independent voters, who favor Andrews over Graham by a 57% to 37% margin, according to the poll.
Graham’s campaign strategy centers on Trump’s endorsement and support. She opposes abortion rights and has expressed complete confidence in Trump’s approaches to tariffs and the conflict with Iran. On immigration, she has called for immediate deportation of all individuals in the country illegally. Republican Party organizations are mounting substantial spending efforts in South Carolina despite the state’s traditional electoral margins, though some fractures within GOP ranks have emerged—one Republican congressman, Ralph Norman, has indicated he will not campaign for Graham after losing a runoff against her.
Other recent polling surveys show similarly competitive matchups, with most giving Graham a narrow edge within margins of error. A South Carolina Policy Council survey conducted this month showed Graham ahead by one point. The same poll demonstrated Andrews’ relative strength compared to other Democratic candidates, as the party’s gubernatorial nominee, Jermaine Johnson, trailed Republican Alan Wilson by 10 points.
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