Annie Andrews Defeats Darline Graham to Flip South Carolina Senate Seat

Darline Graham entered the Senate after her brother, longtime Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, died suddenly in July. She stepped in to serve the final six months of his term, according to Yahoo News.

President Trump personally picked her to succeed her brother and then encouraged her to run for a full term, The Hill reported. What began as a Republican effort to retain the seat became an unexpectedly competitive contest against Democrat Dr. Annie Andrews.

By October 29, Graham's position was deteriorating. The Washington Post described her as increasingly endangered as the race approached its finish.

On October 30, The New York Times reported that polls showed Graham in a virtual tie with Andrews. An upset that had seemed unthinkable a few months earlier was now a serious possibility.

By November 1, the tight race was causing panic among Republicans, according to The Daily Beast Latest Articles. On November 3, The Independent reported that Andrews's supporters could envision flipping a seat in a state accustomed to Republican victories by double digits.

Republicans responded with substantial outside spending. New York Post reported on November 4 that outside Republican groups had poured millions of dollars into the race as polling tightened.

That same day, NBC News projected that Andrews had defeated Graham, denying the appointed senator a full term. CBS Top Stories also reported Andrews's victory.

The race has moved from a potential upset to a projected Democratic victory. Andrews, a pediatrician, defeated Graham, according to NPR Politics. Her campaign focused on healthcare affordability, Top Stories reported.

The result gives South Carolina its first elected Democratic senator in almost three decades, according to BBC News. Earlier coverage described a longer Republican hold: Yahoo News called it a seat Republicans had held for 60 years, while Top Stories said it had been held by Republicans since 1998. Those accounts conflict on the duration, but the reported outcome is clear: Andrews has flipped the seat.