Democrat Annie Andrews wins South Carolina Senate seat from Trump-backed Darline Graham

Democrats take the South Carolina seat

Democrat Annie Andrews was projected on Tuesday, 3 November, to win the US Senate seat in South Carolina, defeating Darline Graham, the sister of Senator Lindsey Graham, who died in July. Projections from The New York Times, CBS and the Associated Press gave Andrews the victory. Andrews, a pediatrician, campaigned on healthcare affordability and the cost of living, and she would be the first woman to represent South Carolina in the Senate. The last Democrat to win a Senate race in the state did so in 1998, 28 years ago. Europa Press counted the result as the second Republican seat Democrats took that night, after Roy Cooper's win in North Carolina.

An appointee who lost ground

Graham was appointed to fill her brother's seat with President Donald Trump's blessing, and Trump then encouraged her to run for a full six-year term. Trump campaigned heavily on her behalf, and the main Republican committee supporting Senate candidates spent five million dollars trying to save the seat. Graham had little political experience, and she acknowledged this during the primary campaign. Asked in an August debate about US policy towards Taiwan, she gave this answer:

“National security is not my thing, not my area of expertise, but I do support the military.”

Andrews campaigned on the cost of living, healthcare and criticism of Washington. She had called the war with Iran illegal, while Graham said she fully trusted Trump on tariffs and the war.

A wider Democratic night

Democrats also held onto Senate seats in Georgia and New Hampshire, races that had once looked competitive. Jon Ossoff, the incumbent Democratic senator projected to win in Georgia, told supporters at a victory party:

“In sweeping and decisive victories, the American people have rebuked the depravity, corruption and incompetence of the man named President Donald J. Trump.”

In Florida, Republican senator Ashley Moody was ahead by about 3 percentage points against Democrat Angie Nixon in a count compiled by Reuters and USA Today, in a state Trump carried by 13 points in 2024. Democrats also held three Florida House districts that Republicans had redrawn earlier this year, all of which backed Trump by at least 9 percentage points. Europa Press tallied 46 Democratic Senate seats against 38 Republican seats at that point, five short of a majority.

Democrats46

Republicans38

Democrats

46 seats

Republicans

38 seats

Data from the article text

What remains open

Many races were still not called. Initial estimates pointed to James Talarico winning the Texas Senate seat and Gina Hinojosa winning the governorship, but no major outlet had called the races against Ken Paxton and Greg Abbott. Millions of votes remained uncounted in Alaska, Iowa, Michigan, Maine, Ohio and Texas, so it was still too early to judge whether Democrats could repeat these results there. Republicans were projected to hold the Senate seats in Wyoming, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Tennessee. Europa Press said a Democratic House majority was almost confirmed, which, combined with a Senate majority, would give Democrats control of Congress.