In brief
Media projections announced on Tuesday night showed Democrat Annie Andrews winning South Carolina’s U.S. Senate seat, a rare Democratic gain in the state since 1998. The victory would shift the balance slightly in a Republican‑controlled Senate and reflects broader voter dissatisfaction with the Trump administration. Analysts pointed to campaign spending parity and key endorsements as contributing factors.
On Tuesday night, media projections announced that Democrat Annie Andrews would defeat Republican Darline Graham in South Carolina’s U.S. Senate race, rolling back a 28‑year Republican hold on the seat. The projected win would be the first Democratic victory in the state’s Senate seat since 1998.
Xinhua reported that NBC News projected Andrews’s victory, noting that Graham had been appointed earlier in the year to fill the seat left vacant after the death of her brother, longtime Senator Lindsey Graham.
By contrast, Reuters described the projected outcome as an upset “in conservative South Carolina” and highlighted that Andrews, a pediatrician, was running on a platform that resonated with voters dissatisfied with President Trump’s economic handling. Reuters also placed Andrews’ win in the broader context of the Democrats’ push for a Senate majority, noting the gain would bring them one seat closer to that objective.
Both outlets agreed that Trump had endorsed Graham, but did not avert her loss. Reuters added that Trump’s campaign pushed Graham to run for a full term despite her low profile, and that Trump once held a rally in the state as the race tightened.
Campaign financing was a point of emphasis for the Reuters story. Andrews outraised Graham by $22 million, while Republican outside groups poured $27 million to hold the seat and Democratic groups spent $24 million to flip it. Reuters also reported that Graham announced during the primary that she was “not that informed on national security.”
“She’s [the opponent] batshit crazy,” Graham told supporters at a rally.
Responding to the remarks, Andrews asked Graham if it was crazy “to want cheaper gas and groceries.”
Both Xinhua and Reuters highlighted that the seat’s shift marks a notable event in South Carolina politics: the first time since 1998 that the state elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate.
