Democrat Annie Andrews has won South Carolina’s United States Senate election, defeating Republican Senator Darline Graham in one of the most striking results of the 2026 midterm elections. The Associated Press projected Andrews as the winner following Tuesday’s vote, marking a Democratic gain in a state where the party had not won a Senate election since 1998.
Andrews, a paediatrician from the Charleston area, becomes the first woman elected by South Carolina voters to the US Senate. Her victory is a party flip, rather than a Democratic hold: Graham had occupied the Republican-held seat after being appointed earlier this year.
The contest changed dramatically after the death of longtime Republican Senator Lindsey Graham in July. His sister, Darline Graham, was appointed to serve the remainder of his term and subsequently won a special Republican primary contest to become the party’s candidate for a full six-year term. President Donald Trump endorsed her candidacy.
Andrews had already entered the race before Lindsey Graham’s death. A physician whose campaign placed healthcare and family costs at the centre of its message, she faced a Republican opponent with a prominent political surname but limited experience in elected office. Their campaign debate covered the economy, foreign policy and artificial intelligence.
The result represents a significant departure from South Carolina’s recent voting history. Republican candidates have regularly won statewide federal contests, and Trump carried the state comfortably in the 2024 presidential election. Democrats last won a Senate race there when Fritz Hollings secured re-election in 1998.
South Carolina’s seat was one of several closely watched contests as voters decided the balance of power in Washington. Democrats also secured a Republican-held Senate seat in North Carolina, where former Governor Roy Cooper defeated Michael Whatley. The two results are separate Democratic gains, and neither should be confused with a party retaining a seat it already controlled.
National control of the Senate depends on the complete set of election results, not any single victory. While election analysts and news organisations may project winners before every ballot is counted, the formal certification of results remains the responsibility of election authorities under applicable state procedures.
Andrews’ campaign focused on the cost of living and access to healthcare. The wider election was shaped by concerns about household expenses and the direction of the Trump administration, although individual voters supported candidates for different reasons. The campaign also exposed disagreements over US foreign policy and the role of emerging technology.
The election has implications beyond South Carolina. Senators vote on federal spending, immigration legislation, international agreements and senior appointments. For African and Nigerian communities in the United States, changes in the Senate could affect the political environment in which future decisions on migration, education, trade and diplomatic relationships are debated. The result itself does not establish that any such policy has changed.
The Republican candidate’s defeat also underscores the limits of presidential endorsements in a competitive general election. Trump’s backing helped Graham consolidate support within her party, but it did not prevent Andrews from winning the statewide contest.
The AP race call establishes a projected electoral winner, not a certified final tally. Election officials will continue the statutory counting and certification process, while the overall composition of the next Congress becomes clearer as other outstanding races are resolved.
Photograph: York County Democratic Party, Fort Mill town hall, 16 October 2026, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0. Cropped image; licence review on Commons pending. Source and attribution.
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