Trump’s personal push of Darline Graham in South Carolina comes back to bite his party

In a stunning upset in typically reliably Republican South Carolina, CNN's Decision Desk is projecting that Democrat Annie Andrews will defeat President Donald Trump's hand-picked candidate Sen. Darline Graham.

Andrews is flipping a seat Republicans have held for nearly three decades and a state that voted for Trump by nearly 18 percentage points in 2024. But the result has been building since Graham became the GOP nominee in late August.

Pushed by Trump, the governor appointed Darline Graham to finish her brother's term after his sudden death, and she decided to run for the full term. Graham eventually made it through a bruising special primary and runoff to become the GOP nominee after several personal interventions by Trump, including a rally in the state before the primary and dedicated spending from his PAC, MAGA Inc.

But the party didn't immediately unite behind Graham and her campaign struggled, needing help from outside groups. Concerns about her lack of experience persisted, especially after she said "national security is not my thing," during a primary runoff debate.

Andrews, a 45-year-old mother of three, launched her Senate campaign last year, acknowledging the uphill battle she faced running as a Democrat in South Carolina. She was originally running against GOP incumbent Sen. Lindsey Graham until he suddenly died in July.

The day after the GOP primary, Andrews was up with a statewide ad, "White Coat," introducing herself as "a mom to three kids and pediatrician" who will work with Republicans "to cut taxes and keep your family safe." She ticked off priorities like cutting healthcare costs and taking on insurance companies.

Like several other Southern Democrats this cycle, Andrews painted herself as an independent-minded moderate who is concerned about affordability, quality of life and corruption. The Democrat also tapped into lingering Republican frustrations with their candidate, calling Graham "unserious and unqualified" and noting the Senate race is "a job interview, not a coronation."

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