Poll finds most South Carolina voters question Darline Graham’s experience

Democrat Annie Andrews defeated Republican Darline Graham in South Carolina’s Senate race, winning about 51% of the vote to Graham’s 47% in a major upset. Andrews, a pediatrician and gun-safety advocate, will be the first woman elected to represent South Carolina in the Senate and the state’s first Democratic senator since 1998. Graham had been appointed to fill the seat after her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, died in July, and ran with President Donald Trump’s endorsement. Andrews campaigned on health care and affordability, while Graham faced scrutiny over her limited political experience and familiarity with national-security issues, as voters were concerned about living costs and the economy. The result gives Democrats a Senate pickup as they seek control of the chamber; former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper also flipped a Senate seat for Democrats.