Democrat Annie Andrews wins US Senate seat in South Carolina upset

Democrat Annie Andrews won a US Senate seat in conservative South Carolina on Tuesday (November 3), according to media projections, ousting Republican Darline Graham in a state President Donald Trump carried by 18 percentage points just two years ago.

Andrews, a pediatrician, is the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in South Carolina in 28 years, a striking gain for a party that needed a net four seats to overturn Republicans’ 53-47 majority.

“We here in South Carolina sent a clear message that this Senate seat does not belong to one family, one party, or to Washington DC,” Andrews told a crowd of cheering supporters in Charleston after her projected victory.

Andrews’ win in a state that neither Democrats nor Republicans considered competitive until recent weeks embodies the broader rejection of Trump and his handling of the economy during the first two years of his term.

After the death of his ally, US Senator Lindsey Graham, Trump had backed Graham’s sister Darline to fill his seat. Trump encouraged her to run for a full six-year term despite her low profile and political inexperience.