Democrat Annie Andrews flips South Carolina’s Senate seat

Andrews beats Republican incumbent Darline Graham, sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, in a major upset.

Al JazeeraCatherine Nouhan2026-11-04 03:39查看原文 ↗

In a historic race, Andrews beats Republican incumbent Darline Graham, the sister of late Lindsey Graham.

South Carolina Democratic Senate candidate Annie Andrews speaks to supporters during a campaign stop in Columbia, South Carolina, on October 29, 2026 [Sam Wolfe/AP Photo]

Charleston, South Carolina, US – South Carolina has elected a Democrat to the US Senate for the first time since 1998, according to the Associated Press news agency. In a major upset for the Republican Party, Annie Andrews won in a state seen as a solid Republican stronghold.

“I think we just made some history,” Andrews said on Tuesday night after results came in.

Andrews outraised Republican candidate Darline Graham by more than $22m, according to Federal Election Commission filings, primarily with grassroots donations. She had pledged to take no money from corporate political action committees (PACs).

Andrews campaigned on lowering costs for working families, expanding affordable healthcare and protecting reproductive rights, and on opposing endless wars.

South Carolina flips

Despite South Carolina being reliably conservative, many voters, including Republicans, believed Graham to be unqualified.

After Republican Senator Lindsey Graham died suddenly in July, his younger sister, Darline, was appointed to serve out the remainder of his term. She went on to win a special primary runoff for the Republican nomination with US President Donald Trump’s endorsement.

Despite Trump’s endorsement, Graham struggled to unite conservatives behind her candidacy. During a primary debate, she said she was “not that informed on national security” and that “national security is not my thing”.

In the final month of the campaign, Trump made multiple appearances alongside Graham, an unusual investment of presidential time in a state Republicans normally win comfortably.

On Tuesday night, Andrews said Graham had called her and congratulated her on her win, which Andrews said she thanked her for.

In a victory speech, Andrews said, “This Senate seat doesn’t belong to one family, one party, or to Washington, DC. It belongs to you and it always will.”

“Nobody in Washington recruited me to run. Nobody handed me a seat in the United States Senate. And nobody wrote me a script,” Andrews said. “I owe no one in Washington anything.”

What does the win mean for South Carolina?

A group of medical students who attend the same medical school as Andrews were celebrating her win at the election watch party. They also volunteer at the free clinic in Mount Pleasant that provides free healthcare to uninsured people.

“Having a scientist in that space means a lot to us,” Daniel Newlands, one of the students, told Al Jazeera.

Lela Ali, a regional voting advisor in the South, told Al Jazeera that Andrews’s win could signal a change not only in South Carolina, but also for southern states.

“I think this victory and the gains across the region today gives people across the South a renewed sense of possibility,” Ali said. “We can’t turn our backs on the South.”

在一场历史性的选举中，安德鲁斯击败了共和党现任议员达琳·格雷厄姆，她是已故林赛·格雷厄姆的妹妹。

2026年10月29日，南卡罗来纳州民主党参议员候选人安妮·安德鲁斯在南卡罗来纳州哥伦比亚市的一次竞选活动中向支持者发表讲话。[萨姆·沃尔夫/美联社照片]

美国南卡罗来纳州查尔斯顿——据美联社报道，南卡罗来纳州自1998年以来首次选举民主党人进入美国参议院。安妮·安德鲁斯在被视为共和党铁票仓的南卡罗来纳州胜出，这对共和党来说是一次重大挫败。

“我认为我们创造了一些历史，”安德鲁斯在周二晚上结果出来后说道。

根据联邦选举委员会的文件显示，安德鲁斯筹集的资金比共和党候选人达琳·格雷厄姆多出2200多万美元，主要来自基层捐款。她曾承诺不接受来自企业政治行动委员会（PAC）的资金。

安德鲁斯竞选时承诺降低工薪家庭的生活成本，扩大可负担的医疗保健，保护生殖权利，并反对无休止的战争。

南卡罗来纳州翻盘

尽管南卡罗来纳州历来是保守派的票仓，但包括共和党人在内的许多选民认为格雷厄姆不具备资格。

共和党参议员林赛·格雷厄姆7月突然去世后，他的妹妹达琳被任命接替他完成剩余任期。之后，她赢得了共和党总统候选人提名的特别初选决胜轮，并获得了美国总统唐纳德·特朗普的背书。

尽管获得了特朗普的支持，格雷厄姆仍然难以团结保守派支持她的竞选。在一次初选辩论中，她表示自己“对国家安全不太了解”，而且“国家安全不是我的专长”。

在竞选的最后一个月里，特朗普多次与格雷厄姆一同露面，这对于共和党通常轻松获胜的州来说，是总统投入时间的一次不寻常之举。

周二晚上，安德鲁斯说格雷厄姆给她打了电话，祝贺她获胜，安德鲁斯说她为此感谢了格雷厄姆。