South Carolina GOP fractures after Graham defeat
The gist
Pediatrician Annie Andrews defeated appointed Sen. Darline Graham, flipping South Carolina's Senate seat to Democrats.
It is the state's first Democratic senator since 1998, exposing Republican divisions.
How it unfolded
- Jun 2026Lindsey Graham won the Republican Senate primary by nearly 28 points; Andrews won her Democratic primary with 61 percent.
- Jul 2026Lindsey Graham died; Gov. McMaster appointed his sister Darline Graham to finish the remainder of his term.
- Aug 2026No candidate won a majority in the special GOP primary, sending Darline Graham and Rep. Ralph Norman to a runoff, which Graham won by less than 5 points.
Key terms
- runoff
- A second election between the top two vote-getters when no candidate wins a majority in the first round.
- Cook Political Report
- A nonpartisan political analysis publication that rates U.S. elections and is led by editor Amy Walter.
- likely voters
- People who are considered probable to cast a ballot in an election, as defined by pollsters.
Source: Wikipedia