Trump’s personal push of Darline Graham in South Carolina comes back to bite his party

Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP

In a stunning upset in typically reliably Republican South Carolina, CNN’s Decision Desk is projecting that Democrat Annie Andrews will defeat President Donald Trump’s hand-picked candidate Sen. Darline Graham.

Andrews is flipping a seat Republicans have held for nearly three decades and a state that voted for Trump by nearly 18 percentage points in 2024. But the result has been building since Graham became the GOP nominee in late August.

Pushed by Trump, the governor appointed Darline Graham to finish her brother’s term after his sudden death, and she decided to run for the full term. Graham eventually made it through a bruising special primary and runoff to become the GOP nominee after several personal interventions by Trump, including a rally in the state before the primary and dedicated spending from his PAC, MAGA Inc.

But the party didn’t immediately unite behind Graham and her campaign struggled, needing help from outside groups. Concerns about her lack of experience persisted, especially after she said “national security is not my thing,” during a primary runoff debate.

Andrews, a 45-year-old mother of three, launched her Senate campaign last year, acknowledging the uphill battle she faced running as a Democrat in South Carolina. She was originally running against GOP incumbent Sen. Lindsey Graham until he suddenly died in July.

The day after the GOP primary, Andrews was up with a statewide ad, “White Coat,” introducing herself as “a mom to three kids and pediatrician” who will work with Republicans “to cut taxes and keep your family safe.” She ticked off priorities like cutting healthcare costs and taking on insurance companies.

Like several other Southern Democrats this cycle, Andrews painted herself as an independent-minded moderate who is concerned about affordability, quality of life and corruption. The Democrat also tapped into lingering Republican frustrations with their candidate, calling Graham “unserious and unqualified” and noting the Senate race is “a job interview, not a coronation.”

朱莉娅·德马雷·尼金森/美联社

在通常稳固的共和党州南卡罗来纳州，CNN 的选举预测结果令人震惊：民主党候选人安妮·安德鲁斯将击败唐纳德·特朗普总统钦点的候选人、参议员达琳·格雷厄姆。

安德鲁斯正在翻转一个共和党人把持了近三十年的席位，以及一个在2024年以近18个百分点的优势投票支持特朗普的州。但自从格雷厄姆在8月下旬成为共和党候选人以来，这种结果就一直在酝酿之中。

在特朗普的推动下，州长任命达琳·格雷厄姆接替突然去世的哥哥完成剩余任期，而她本人则决定竞选完整任期。在特朗普的多次亲自干预下，包括初选前在该州举行集会以及其政治行动委员会“让美国再次伟大”（MAGA Inc.）的专项支出，格雷厄姆最终在一场激烈的特别初选和决选中胜出，成为共和党候选人。

但党内并未立即团结在格雷厄姆周围，她的竞选之路举步维艰，不得不寻求外部团体的帮助。人们对她缺乏经验的担忧持续存在，尤其是在初选决胜轮辩论中，她曾表示“国家安全不是我擅长的领域”。

现年45岁、育有三个孩子的安德鲁斯去年启动了她的参议员竞选活动，她也承认作为一名民主党人在南卡罗来纳州参选将面临重重困难。她最初的对手是共和党现任参议员林赛·格雷厄姆，但格雷厄姆于7月突然去世。

共和党初选第二天，安德鲁斯就推出了一则全州范围的竞选广告，名为“白大褂”。她在广告中自称是“三个孩子的母亲和儿科医生”，并表示将与共和党人合作，“削减税收，保障家庭安全”。她列举了多项优先事项，例如降低医疗成本和与保险公司对抗。

与本轮选举周期中的其他几位南方民主党人一样，安德鲁斯将自己塑造成一位独立自主的温和派，关注住房可负担性、生活质量和腐败问题。这位民主党候选人还利用了共和党人对其候选人持续存在的不满情绪，称格雷厄姆“不认真且不称职”，并指出参议院选举“只是一次求职面试，而不是加冕礼”。