The first woman that South Carolina has ever elected to the Senate won Tuesday night. Unfortunately for President Donald Trump, the Republicans, and our state, Democrat Annie Andrews is that woman. The Associated Press called it for Andrews at 10:39 p.m., with a victory over incumbent Darline Graham of 50.6% to 47%, with 89% of the vote in.
I always knew that this race would be close. The sunny last polls showing Graham ahead made me relax.
So now the question plaguing every Republican consultant who thought Darline Graham was a solid choice: How did this happen?
Let me, as a South Carolinian who wanted Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) to be the candidate, weigh in.
Several things made me think it would go to the Democrat this time around. First, throughout the abbreviated general election campaign, Darline Graham signs were hard to find. Even in the red areas! You’d see many, many signs for other Republican candidates. Just — not her.
I was one of the many Republican voters who were extremely distressed when Darline Graham won the special primary back in August. The race for the late Lindsey Graham’s seat came down to a runoff between Graham, carrier of her brother’s legacy, and my guy Norman.
As for all those pundits who kept saying that South Carolina hadn't elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1998, as if that sealed the deal? South Carolina is not averse to electing Democrats even in the modern era. After all, Democrat Sen. Fritz Hollings, who held a Senate seat for 39 years, stepped down only in 2005, That's only 28 years! (Remember, we still get mad about things that happened over 160 years ago.)
Norman was, and is until January, a member of the House Freedom Caucus. He’s one of the few, if not the only, congressmen who supported medical independence during the COVID-19 lockdown. Another thing I liked about him was that he was older. I reasoned that he wouldn’t be there for four or five terms. I figured that in six, maybe 12, years, we’d get new blood into the office.
I wasn’t too thrilled when Gov. Henry McMaster named Graham the temporary replacement senator. The last thing I want is another dynasty; we already have too many of those in South Carolina. For example, just look at our new governor, Alan Wilson. He’s a great guy, and I voted for him. But he’s also the adopted son of another South Carolina political giant, Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.).
When Graham was nominated to serve temporarily, I tried to put a good spin on it. Perhaps this is a good thing, I said to myself, because this will keep some potential candidate from getting a competitive edge over other rivals. Then, lo, President Trump stepped in and asked her to run for the full term. We independent South Carolinians looking for someone new were up against the power of the President.
As much as I appreciate Trump, he’s the one responsible for moving South Carolina to the “D” column. Can you blame Darline Graham for saying yes when he asked her to run? How flattering to have the president of the United States ask you to serve.
More infuriating, Trump came down and helped her at a rally in Myrtle Beach before the August 11 primary. At that point, every Norman supporter gnashed their teeth. The man we supported as the populist candidate for president was backing the establishment candidate. Trump later did one last rally in Rock Hill (Norman’s hometown) before the general election. A Republican president having to campaign for a candidate in SOUTH CAROLINA, a few days before the election? That should have told everyone the story there.
Related: Darline Graham Nordone Was the Mistake That Didn't Need to Happen
It appears Donald Trump never forgave Ralph Norman for backing fellow South Carolinian Nikki Haley in the 2024 primary. Once she lost, Norman immediately switched to Donald Trump, but the damage was done. Loyalty is everything to the president. I can’t help but think that Trump paid Norman back by doing one last rally for Darline in the general election in Rock Hill, Ralph Norman’s hometown.
So many South Carolinians, especially Norman’s hardcore backers from the Upstate, couldn’t get over the injustice. A small group formed to write Ralph Norman in on the ballot in the general election.
One consultant expressed many people’s reaction:
Every single person who sent me nasty messages saying I wasn’t a team player or was a “panican” for telling them that Darline Graham was a colossal mistake. They said it was “only for 6 months” to “pay tribute”. Then it became a mandate that we had to support her or we were “disloyal”. I’ve done politics in South Carolina for nearly 15 years. Virtually every GOP consultant in the state wouldn’t take Annie Andrews seriously - they thought she was crazy and it was impossible. They believed they could put anyone they wanted in that seat. I tried to explain things are different now, the demographics are shifting, and the GOP was sick of Lindsey. They couldn’t do this. To me it was so blatantly obvious she was going to be a problem. They just wouldn’t listen.
— Dan Bostic (@danbostic) November 4, 2026