Annie Andrews Pulls Ahead in South Carolina Senate Race After Flooding the Airwaves With Cash
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Democrat Annie Andrews turned a longshot Senate campaign into a lead by spending more than $5 million on advertising and connecting with voters fed up with the status quo, outpacing Republican Darline Graham in South Carolina.
Democrat Annie Andrews altered the balance of the South Carolina Senate contest after Republican Sen. Darline Graham secured the GOP nomination to replace her late brother. Andrews poured more than $5 million into television advertising, buying a dominant presence on the airwaves while Graham struggled to raise money and keep pace.
By early October, internal campaign data showed Andrews holding a three-point lead over Graham, though her team chose not to release the poll publicly to avoid drawing a wave of national Republican attention, strategist Chas Goldman said.
The race drew national scrutiny as the state, long written off as unwinnable for Democrats, became a battleground for both parties. Former GOP Rep. and Gov. Mark Sanford pointed to growing anti-Graham sentiment among coastal voters and said President Donald Trump’s endorsement of Graham “never sat well with folks.”
"The fact that a state as red as South Carolina would go the other way on his hand-picked candidate? This is a person who said: ‘Close your eyes and pretend you’re voting for me.’ OK, they did," Sanford told Semafor.
Andrews outperformed the Democratic gubernatorial nominee by four percentage points and finished about 100,000 votes ahead of Republican governor-elect Alan Wilson, underscoring the scale of her advantage over Graham.
"I’m on TV, she’s not up yet, and that’s a huge advantage. All of the ingredients are in place, and I’ve been gifted with what is frankly an incredibly weak opponent. I’m ready," Andrews said in September.
Andrews said she welcomed support from national Democrats but made clear she believed she could win without heavy national party spending, even as the GOP’s underwhelming campaign operation left Graham exposed.