COLUMBIA, S.C. — Days before South Carolina voters head to the polls on Nov. 3, the race between Republican Sen. Darline Graham and Democratic nominee Annie Andrews has tightened into an unexpected battleground contest, shaking up national expectations in a traditionally conservative bastion.
South Carolina has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in nearly three decades, but recent nonpartisan polling suggests a dead heat. A New York Times/Siena poll released Wednesday showed both candidates tied at 48 percent, with 3 percent undecided, MS NOW reported. Meanwhile, an East Carolina University survey conducted Oct. 19 through Oct. 24 found Graham leading Andrews by four percentage points, 51 percent to 47 percent, within the poll’s credibility interval of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points. On Thursday, Fox News updated its forecast to shift the race from Lean Republican to Toss-up.
Down-ballot anxiety among Republicans
The close margin has sparked vocal concern among state Republicans, who worry Graham’s performance could damage candidates further down the ballot. Representative Nancy Mace, who is vacating her seat in the 1st Congressional District, sounded an alarm during an appearance on CNN, according to WCIV.
“At the end of the day, Darline Graham will win,” Mace told the network. “She’ll barely pull it off. But my greatest concern is less about Darline Graham and more about other races, whether it’s a state house race or congressional races.”
Mace, who defeated Andrews in a 2022 congressional race by over 30,000 votes, noted that the contest to succeed her between Republican Jenny Costa Honeycutt and Democrat Nancy Lacore is now considered a toss-up. She argued that voters in the state are expressing frustration with Graham specifically, rather than turning against the broader Republican brand, WCIV reported.
Other Republicans dismissed concerns. Republican Sen. Tim Scott maintained that South Carolina remains solidly red, telling reporters Wednesday that the state would continue to elect two Republican senators and maintain GOP control down the ticket.
A centrist pitch to Palmetto State voters
Andrews, a pediatrician making her second bid for federal office after having never held public office, has campaigned aggressively as a moderate. She has publicly criticized her party’s handling of the southern border, stated she opposes Medicare for All, and voiced support for ending federal taxes on tips and Social Security, MS NOW reported. The New York Times/Siena poll indicated that Andrews draws 59 percent of independents and 22 percent of Republicans.
At the same time, Andrews has slammed President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs as unconstitutional and criticized U.S. military action in Iran, according to MS NOW. During an interview with WCIV, Andrews said her initial action if elected would be reaching out to Scott to work on Medicare and Medicaid.
Graham and national Republicans have pushed back forcefully against Andrews’ pitch. Speaking on “The Brian Kilmeade Show,” Graham accused Andrews of “deceiving” voters by portraying herself as a moderate in late campaign advertisements, pointing to her past stances on firearms and transgender medical care for minors, MS NOW reported.
High stakes in the campaign’s final hours
The Senate seat opened a little over three months ago following the death of longtime Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, which launched Darline Graham’s political career. To shore up her support, Trump has campaigned repeatedly in the state, staging rallies to energize voters in areas where Graham underperformed during her primary runoff against Rep. Ralph Norman, Fox News reported.
The South Carolina outcome carries significant weight for the national balance of power, with Fox News reporting that control of the U.S. Senate remains a toss-up across six pivotal states. Also appearing on South Carolina’s Senate ballot are Libertarian nominee Kasie Whitener and Constitution Party nominee Mark Hackett.
