Democrat Annie Andrews wins South Carolina Senate seat in major upset

Democratic candidate Dr. Annie Andrews has won South Carolina's United States Senate race, defeating Republican incumbent Darline Graham. Networks called the race shortly after 10 p.m. on Tuesday, according to the Washington Examiner. Fox News, the New York Post, and Mother Jones reported that Andrews became the first Democrat to win a Senate election in the state since 1998. [1][2][4][7]

Graham, who is 62 years old, was appointed to the Senate by Governor Henry McMaster following the sudden death of her older brother, former Senator Lindsey Graham, according to the New York Post and the Washington Examiner. The Washington Examiner and Fox News reported that President Donald Trump endorsed and campaigned for Graham during the election. Outside Republican groups spent millions of dollars to support Graham as polls indicated a tight contest, the New York Post reported. [1][2][4]

Prior to the vote, an AP Voter Poll reported by PBS NewsHour showed that about six in 10 voters in South Carolina believed Graham lacked the appropriate experience to serve as a senator. As FTMQ News reported earlier, polls leading up to the election showed Andrews and Graham tied, despite South Carolina's long history of voting for Republican Senate candidates. [5][16]

Andrews is a pediatrician and mother of three who ran as a political outsider, according to Fox News and Mother Jones. She is the first woman elected to represent South Carolina in the United States Senate, where she will serve a six-year term. [2][4][7][13]