Democrat Annie Andrews has won South Carolina’s US Senate race, defeating Republican incumbent Darline Graham, according to published race projections.
The pediatrician’s victory flips a Republican-held seat in a state President Donald Trump carried by 18 percentage points in 2024. She is the first Democrat to win a South Carolina Senate seat in 28 years. Andrews had previously run unsuccessfully for the US House.
Graham was appointed after her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, died in July. She then won the Republican nomination in a special primary with Trump’s backing.
The race was called at 10:39 p.m. Eastern, or 7:39 p.m. Pacific. That projection is separate from the state’s official certification of results.
South Carolina and North Carolina give Democrats two Republican-held Senate seats. The party entered Election Day needing a net gain of four to take the majority. These victories alone do not establish control of the chamber.
For voters following the count, the South Carolina Election Commission’s results page offers both a live reporting link and downloadable statewide reports. The commission says its election-night system has experienced intermittent issues and directs people who cannot access live results to those reports. Check the time on each report before comparing figures from different updates.
