The Scoop
Annie Andrews took her shot at Nancy Mace. Now she’s setting her sights on Lindsey Graham.
On Thursday, the South Carolina Democrat launched her uphill bid to unseat Graham, the senior US senator from the state, in next year’s midterms, emphasizing her background as a longtime pediatrician in the Lowcountry and Graham’s shifting political positions.
And running against Graham is good business: Jaime Harrison raised $130 million in 2020 and went on to chair the Democratic National Committee. He did, however, end up losing to Graham by 10 points.
Andrews insists this time will be different.
“2026 is going to be a very different year than 2020. Jaime Harrison ran a really strong campaign, but that was at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. He could not have an effective ground game, and you can’t win an election without that,” Andrews said in an interview with Semafor on Wednesday. “I don’t sit out because things are hard.”
No doubt, the neophyte politician has a big challenge ahead of her, both in running against Graham and convincing party leaders to assist her. There appear to be far more winnable races across the Senate map than in South Carolina, but Andrews has a leg up simply by virtue of getting in the race so early, leapfrogging the entry of top-tier candidates in places like Iowa and Maine.
She said she’s spoken to Democratic leaders in Washington and South Carolina about her bid and that she’s “confident that by getting in this race now that we’re going to have the resources we need.” Graham already has nearly $16 million in the bank.
He’s also a close ally of President Donald Trump, who has already endorsed him for reelection. Andrews signaled she plans to weaponize Graham’s alliance with Trump against him — a bet that will only work if South Carolina is souring on Trump.
She said the administration’s tariff regime is already affecting voters at the state’s ports and auto plants.
“Lindsey Graham has changed. He’s not the same person he was 22 years ago, and he’s deeply unpopular and incredibly vulnerable right now,” Andrews said.
Know More
Fritz Hollings was the last Democrat to win a South Carolina Senate race, back in 1998, and a Democrat hasn’t won the state in a presidential race since 1976. Trump expanded his margin in 2024 over his previous runs. And Andrews was defeated handily by Mace, who represents the state’s 1st Congressional District, in 2022 by about 14 points.
Yet despite her state’s conservative leanings, Andrews doesn’t seem like a Joe Manchin-type candidate. She’s “open to eliminating the filibuster” — even as Senate Democrats wield the tool in the Senate minority. And she’s not a hard no on Chuck Schumer as Democratic leader: “I’m really focused on my race. I’m not in Washington yet. When I get there, I’ll hear anybody out.”
Her launch video focuses on her work treating children and calls Graham “full of sh*t” after changing his positions on Trump so dramatically over the past decade. She’s also prepared to whack Graham for his votes confirming Trump’s Cabinet and his likely vote for the House-passed tax and spending package and its Medicaid cuts. She called Graham’s votes for Trump’s nominations, particularly Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., “deeply distressing.”
Despite ending up in a double-digit Graham win, South Carolina was the most expensive non-Georgia Senate race in 2020. If Andrews can raise some money, it’s easy to see how this one could similarly escalate.
Notable
- The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates Graham’s seat as solid Republican.