Pediatrician Andrews wins South Carolina Senate election — The Guardian

Pediatrician and Democratic Party candidate Annie Andrews won the U.S. Senate election in South Carolina. She defeated Darlene Graham, the sister of the late Republican Lindsey Graham, The Guardian reports.

Andrews became the first Democrat elected from South Carolina to the U.S. Senate in more than a quarter-century. The last time the state elected a Democrat to the upper chamber of Congress was in 1998. These were also the first elections in which South Carolina elected a woman to the U.S. Senate.

Campaign for affordable healthcare

Andrews built her campaign around the affordability of healthcare. Her opponent, 62-year-old Darlene Graham, was appointed by the governor of South Carolina after the death of her brother Lindsey Graham in July at the age of 71 to complete his Senate term.

U.S. President Donald Trump urged Graham to run and actively campaigned for her. At the same time, during a debate in August, she said she was not sufficiently familiar with national security issues when answering a question about U.S. policy toward Taiwan.

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Competitive race

A week before the vote, a New York Times/Siena poll showed the candidates tied, with each receiving 48% support. In her platform, Graham held positions close to Trump's, including saying that she fully trusted him on tariffs and the war with Iran.

Andrews called the war with Iran illegal and criticized its effect on gasoline prices. In September, she said the United States needed to find a way out of the war abroad, which she called illegal, unconstitutional and costing $1 billion a day.

Toward the end of the campaign, Andrews also faced criticism from LGBTQ+ rights activists over advertisements concerning trans women and gender surgeries for minors. In 2022, she called South Carolina's Save Women’s Sports Act actively harmful and said she supported transgender youth.