Annie Andrews Surges in South Carolina Senate Race After Drowning the State in Negative Advertising
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Democrat Annie Andrews transformed a longshot Senate campaign into a lead by dumping more than $5 million into advertising and capitalizing on voter discontent, edging out Republican Darline Graham in South Carolina.
Democrat Annie Andrews shifted the dynamics 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, saturating the airwaves with a big-spending campaign while Graham struggled to raise funds and respond in kind.
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 attracting excessive national Republican attention, strategist Chas Goldman said.
The race attracted national focus as the state, long considered unwinnable for Democrats, became a focal point for both parties. Former GOP Rep. and Gov. Mark Sanford noted 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 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 assistance from national Democrats but expressed confidence in winning without extensive national party investment, even as the Democratic machine’s media spending and outsider messaging kept pressing the race leftward.