Wikipedia

2026 United States Senate election in South Carolina

(Redirected from Annie L. Andrews)

The 2026 United States Senate election in South Carolina will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of South Carolina. Republican incumbent Lindsey Graham is seeking a fifth term.[1] He is being challenged by Democratic pediatrician Annie Andrews.

2026 United States Senate election in South Carolina
← 2020
November 3, 2026
2032 →
 
Nominee Lindsey Graham Annie Andrews
Party Republican Democratic
Incumbent U.S. senator

Lindsey Graham
Republican


Primary elections were held on June 9, 2026. In the Republican primary, Graham was nominated with 56.8% of the vote over businessman Mark Lynch. Andrews won the Democratic nomination with 61.5% of the vote over former Paine College administrator Brandon Brown.

Democrats have not won a Senate election in South Carolina since 1998.

Background

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South Carolina is generally considered to be a Republican stronghold, having not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1998, and have not won this seat since 1960. Republican nominee Donald Trump won South Carolina in 2020 by 12 percentage points, and in 2024 grew his margin to 18 percentage points. Republicans control every statewide office (except the state's comptroller office), supermajorities in both chambers of the state legislature, both U.S. Senate seats, and all but one seat in South Carolina's U.S. House congressional delegation.[2][3]

Senator Lindsey Graham was first elected in 2002, defeating Democrat Alex Sanders by about 10 percentage points. He was re-elected in 2008, 2014, and most recently in 2020 defeating Jaime Harrison by 10 percentage points in what was expected to be a dead heat.[4] In January 2025, he declared that he was running for reelection.[5]

Republican primary

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Candidates

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Nominee

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Eliminated in primary

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Did not file

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  • Thomas Murphy, retired Navy hospital corpsman[13][7]

Withdrawn

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Declined

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Endorsements

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Mark Lynch
Executive branch officials
Individuals
Paul Dans (withdrawn)
Individuals

Fundraising

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Campaign finance reports as of March 31, 2026
Candidate Raised Spent Cash on hand
Thomas Dismukes (R) $14,935 $13,125 $1,810
Lindsey Graham (R) $20,688,173 $21,566,021 $11,613,609
Ethan Holliman (R) $20,270 $20,270 $0
Mark Lynch (R) $5,726,191 $2,398,855 $3,327,336
Paul Dans (R) $1,011,421 $565,237 $446,184
Source: Federal Election Commission[31]

Polling

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Poll source Date(s)
administered		 Sample
size[a]		 Margin
of error		 Paul
Dans		 Lindsey
Graham		 Mark
Lynch		 Other Undecided
Trafalgar Group (R)[32] June 5–7, 2026 1,200 (LV) ± 2.9% – 49% 29% 11%[b] 11%
InsiderAdvantage (R)[33] June 5–6, 2026 800 (LV) ± 3.5% – 51% 21% 10% 18%
The Public Sentiment Institute[34] June 3–4, 2026 388 (LV) ± 5.0% – 51% 26% 18%[c] 4%
The Citadel[35] May 21–31, 2026 600 (LV) ± 4.5% – 46% 36% – 18%
Trafalgar Group (R)[36] May 21–24, 2026 1,125 (LV) ± 2.9% – 52% 28% 12%[d] 8%
InsiderAdvantage (R)[37] May 13–14, 2026 800 (LV) ± 3.5% – 56% 13% 8%[e] 23%
April 10, 2026 Dans withdraws from the race
Pulse Opinion Research (R)[38][A] March 11–17, 2026 1,000 (LV) ± 3.1% 11% 41% 21% – 22%
Quantus Insights (R)[39][B] October 1–4, 2025 600 (RV) ± 4.2% 7%[f] 58% 15% – 20%
6% 51% 11% – 32%
Big Data Poll (R)[40][C] September 26–29, 2025 827 (RV) ± 3.5% 22% 46% 4% – 28%
Quantus Insights (R)[41][42][B] June 10–13, 2025 600 (RV) ± 3.8% – 48% 23% – 29%
Big Data Poll (R)[40][C] June 8–11, 2025 – (V) ± 3.5% 9% 50% 11% – 30%
Pulse Opinion Research (R)[43][A] May 15–21, 2025 1,062 (LV) – – 43% 29% 5% 23%

Results

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Primary results by county:
  Graham
  •   40–50%
  •   50–60%
  •   60–70%
  •   70–80%
  Lynch
  •   40–50%
Republican primary results
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Lindsey Graham 264,091 56.8
Republican Mark Lynch 134,360 28.9
Republican Thomas Dismukes 24,164 5.2
Republican Pat Herrmann 17,448 3.8
Republican Calvin Cowen 14,171 3.0
Republican Darius Mitchell 10,842 2.3
Total votes 465,076 100.0

Democratic primary

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Candidates

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Nominee

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Eliminated in primary

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Did not file

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  • Christopher Giracello, realtor[49][7]

Withdrawn

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  • Lee Johnson, engineer[50]

Endorsements

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Lee Johnson (withdrawn)

State legislators

Fundraising

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Campaign finance reports as of March 31, 2026
Candidate Raised Spent Cash on hand
Annie Andrews (D) $6,519,296 $3,880,008 $2,639,287
Catherine Fleming Bruce (D)[note 1] $0 $0 $5,030
Kyle Freeman (D) $53,475 $52,239 $1,236
Brandon Brown (D) $69,569 $20,369 $40,709
Source: Federal Election Commission[31]
  1. ↑ As of April 20, 2026, latest FEC report is for the quarter ending September 30, 2025.

Polling

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Poll source Date(s)
administered		 Sample
size[a]		 Margin
of error		 Annie
Andrews		 Brandon
Brown		 Kyle
Freeman		 Undecided
The Citadel[35] May 21–31, 2026 427 (LV) ± 4.7% 45% 14% 5% 36%

Results

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Primary results by county:
  Andrews
  •   30–40%
  •   40–50%
  •   50–60%
  •   60–70%
  •   70–80%
  Brown
  •   40–50%
  •   50–60%
Democratic primary results
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Annie Andrews 226,075 61.5
Democratic Brandon Brown 110,962 30.2
Democratic Kyle Freeman 30,374 8.3
Total votes 367,411 100.0

Libertarian primary

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Candidates

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Nominee

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Eliminated at convention

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Constitution primary

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Candidates

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Presumptive nominee

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Independents

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Candidates

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Did not file

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  • Don Louis, retired CEO[60]
  • Jack Ellison[61]
  • Reece Wright-McDonald, perennial candidate[62]

General election

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Predictions

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Source Ranking As of
Inside Elections[63] Likely R April 23, 2026
Race to the WH[64] Safe R May 22, 2026
RealClearPolitics[65] Likely R May 19, 2026
Sabato's Crystal Ball[66] Safe R March 4, 2026
The Cook Political Report[67] Solid R April 13, 2026
The Economist[68][g] Lean R May 22, 2026

Fundraising

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Campaign finance reports as of May 20, 2026
Candidate Raised Spent Cash on hand
Lindsey Graham (R) $20,916,691 $29,180,380 $4,227,769
Annie Andrews (D) $8,059,705 $5,194,396 $2,865,309
Source: Federal Election Commission[69]

Polling

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Lindsey Graham vs. Annie Andrews

Poll source Date(s)
administered		 Sample
size[a]		 Margin
of error		 Lindsey
Graham (R)		 Annie
Andrews (D)		 Undecided
Impact Research (D)[70][D] February 25 – March 1, 2026 700 (LV) ± 3.7% 47% 42% 11%
Public Policy Polling (D)[71][E] November 21–22, 2025 704 (V) ± 3.7% 42% 36% 22%
Hypothetical polling

Lindsey Graham vs. Generic Democrat

Poll source Date(s)
administered		 Sample
size[a]		 Margin
of error		 Lindsey
Graham (R)		 Generic
Democrat		 Undecided
Public Policy Polling (D)[71][E] November 21–22, 2025 704 (V) ± 3.7% 41% 39% 20%

Notes

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  1. 1 2 3 4 Key:
    A – all adults
    RV – registered voters
    LV – likely voters
    V – unclear
  2. ↑ Thomas Dismukes with 4%; Darius Mitchell & Patrick Herrmann with 3%; Calvin Cowen with 1%
  3. ↑ Thomas Dismukes with 7%; Patrick Herrmann with 5%; Darius Mitchell with 4%; Calvin Cowen with 2%
  4. ↑ Darius Mitchell with 4%; Thomas Dismukes & Patrick Herrmann with 3%; Calvin Cowen with 2%
  5. ↑ Calvin Cowen with 3%; Thomas Dismukes & Darius Mitchell with 2%; Patrick Herrmann with 1%
  6. ↑ With voters who lean towards a given candidate
  7. ↑ The Economist's prediction model uses unconventional terminology. For the purpose of equivalency, their "Very Likely" ratings are formatted as a "Likely" rating while "Likely" ratings are formatted as a "Lean" rating.

Partisan clients

  1. 1 2 Poll commissioned by Lynch's campaign
  2. 1 2 Poll sponsored by Trending Politics, a conservative news website
  3. 1 2 Poll sponsored by Dans's campaign
  4. ↑ Poll sponsored by Andrews's campaign
  5. 1 2 Poll sponsored by 314 Action, which supports Andrews

References

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  1. ↑ Connaughton, Kevin (January 14, 2025). "Lindsey Graham announces campaign team, funding for 2026 re-election bid". WHNS. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
  2. ↑ Kenmore, Abraham; Adcox, Seanna (November 6, 2024). "Trump wins SC for 3rd time, on his way to stunning White House victory". South Carolina Daily Gazette. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  3. ↑ Holdman, Jessica; Kenmore, Abraham (November 6, 2024). "SC Republicans celebrate red wave that gives GOP biggest advantage in 150 years". South Carolina Daily Gazette. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  4. ↑ Lobosco, Katie (November 4, 2020). "Lindsey Graham defeats Jaime Harrison in South Carolina". CNN. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  5. ↑ Connaughton, Kevin (January 14, 2025). "Lindsey Graham announces campaign team, funding for 2026 re-election bid". WIS-TV. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
  6. ↑ Atkinson, Mason (January 13, 2025). "Lindsey Graham announces campaign team, funding for 2026 re-election bid". The Post and Courier. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "Who wants to unseat SC's Lindsey Graham from U.S. Senate? See who's filed". The State. March 30, 2026. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Candidate Detail". South Carolina Election Commission.
  9. ↑ "Candidate Detail". South Carolina Election Commission.
  10. ↑ "Candidate Detail". South Carolina Election Commission.
  11. ↑ Maultsby, Baker (February 5, 2025). "Greenville businessman to take on Graham for Senate seat in 2026 Republican primary". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Candidate Detail". South Carolina Election Commission.
  13. ↑ Hyslip, Tom (February 23, 2025). "Thomas Murphy Announces Primary Challenge Against Senator Lindsey Graham in 2026 Race". WRHI. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
  14. ↑ Valeski, Lucy (August 8, 2025). "Former Lt. Gov. André Bauer drops out of SC Senate race to slim field". The State.
  15. 1 2 Contorno, Steve (April 10, 2026). "Project 2025 architect quits South Carolina Senate race and endorses Lindsey Graham challenger". CNN. Retrieved April 11, 2026.
  16. ↑ Bustos, Joseph (May 14, 2025). "This Upstate Democrat is looking to oust Trump-backed Sen. Lindsey Graham". The State. Retrieved May 23, 2025. Ethan Holliman, of Conway, also has filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to run as a Republican for the seat and has loaned his campaign $20,000.
  17. ↑ Holliman, Ethan (December 2025). "LinkedIn". LinkedIn. Retrieved March 2, 2025. Committee Initiated Termination in progress with the Federal Election Commission as of December 2025
  18. ↑ Atkinson, Macon (July 25, 2025). "Rock Hill Republican and MAGA congressman Ralph Norman is running for SC governor". The Post and Courier. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  19. ↑ Folks, Will (February 10, 2026). "Mark Sanford Mulls U.S. Senate Bid Against Lindsey Graham". FITSNews. Retrieved February 13, 2026.
  20. ↑ Byrd, Caitlin (March 30, 2026). "Mark Sanford files to run for his old congressional seat by sounding alarm on national debt". Post and Courier. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  21. 1 2 Kesler, Alex (March 16, 2025). "Sen. Graham files for reelection". ABC7. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  22. ↑ Kayanja, Ian (March 26, 2025). "President Trump endorses Lindsey Graham as senator eyes 2026 reelection bid". WCIV. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
  23. 1 2 Kinnard, Meg (February 4, 2025). "Sen. Tim Scott and South Carolina's governor will chair Lindsey Graham's reelection bid". Associated Press. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
  24. ↑ "Thank You for Supporting Pro-Israel Candidates". AIPAC Political Portal. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
  25. ↑ "2026 GOP Clean Energy Leaders". ClearPath Action Fund. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  26. 1 2 Robelot, Jane (March 31, 2025). "Sen. Lindsey Graham gets endorsements from three national, state anti-abortion groups". WYFF4. Retrieved August 8, 2025.
  27. ↑ "Platner sails through primary amid controversy: 5 takeaways from Tuesday's elections". The Hill. June 10, 2026.
  28. ↑ "Michael Flynn breaks with Trump, opposing Trump's preferred picks for races". Washington Reporter. May 18, 2026.
  29. ↑ Nitzberg, Alex (June 5, 2026). "Ex-counterterrorism official Joe Kent endorses GOP Senate primary challenger as Trump backs Lindsey Graham". FOX News. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  30. ↑ Gertz, Matt (November 7, 2025). "The next phase of the Fuentes-Carlson saga targets Lindsey Graham's Senate seat". Media Matters for America. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
  31. 1 2 "2026 Election United States Senate - South Carolina". Federal Election Commission. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
  32. ↑ "South Carolina Governor GOP Primary Poll – June 2026" (PDF). Trafalgar Group. June 9, 2026. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
  33. ↑ "South Carolina GOP Primary: Graham Above 50%; Evette and Wilson Top Race for Governor; AG Race is Up for Grabs With Goldfinch Leading". InsiderAdvantage. June 7, 2026. Retrieved June 8, 2026.
  34. ↑ "TPSI - South Carolina Republican Primary Poll". June 6, 2026. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  35. 1 2 "The Citadel SC Voter Survey May 2026" (PDF). The Citadel. June 3, 2026. Retrieved June 3, 2026.
  36. ↑ "South Carolina Governor GOP Primary Poll – May 2026" (PDF). Trafalgar Group. May 26, 2026. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  37. ↑ "InsiderAdvantage South Carolina Survey: Lindsey Graham Takes Commanding Lead in Republican Primary". InsiderAdvantage. May 15, 2026. Retrieved May 18, 2026.
  38. ↑ Politics & Poll Tracker [@PollTracker2024] (March 22, 2026). "Pulse Opinion Research poll" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
  39. ↑ Corley, Jason (October 7, 2025). "South Carolina Republican Primary Survey". Quantus Insights. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  40. 1 2 Baris, Rich (September 30, 2025). "A Challenger Emerges in the Republican Primary for U.S. Senate in South Carolina" (PDF). Big Data Poll. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
  41. ↑ "Lindsey Graham Faces a Shifting GOP Landscape in South Carolina". Quantus Insights. June 17, 2025. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
  42. ↑ Corley, Jason (June 17, 2025). "Quantus Insights – South Carolina". Quantus Insights. Retrieved June 18, 2025 – via Google Drive.
  43. ↑ @PollTracker2024 (May 27, 2025). "Pulse Opinion Research poll South Carolina Republican Senate primary 2026 (Mark Lynch internal) Lindsay Graham 43% Mark Lynch 29% Undecided 23% 5/15-5/21 LV" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
  44. ↑ Bustos, Joseph (May 29, 2025). "This SC pediatrician ran for Congress in 2022. Now she wants to oust Sen. Graham". The State. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
  45. ↑ Quinn, Abigail (July 9, 2025). "Brandon Brown to challenge Lindsey Graham for South Carolina Senate seat". WCIV. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
  46. ↑ Victoria, Kenyatta. "Meet the Black Women Running for Senate Seats in 2026". EBONY. Retrieved April 11, 2026.
  47. ↑ Carpentier, Bella. "Republican Paul Dans exits the Senate race, endorses Mark Lynch". The Greenville News. Retrieved April 11, 2026.
  48. ↑ Carpentier, Bella (May 15, 2025). "Greenville engineer joins 2026 race for Lindsey Graham's U.S. Senate seat". Greenville News. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  49. 1 2 Maxwell, Tiana (July 22, 2025). "Lincolnville community hears from Graham seat race candidates in senatorial forum". WCSC-TV. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
  50. ↑ Bustos, Joseph (July 16, 2025). "After two months, this Upstate Democrat drops out of SC US Senate race". The State. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  51. ↑ "Jaime Harrison Endorses Dr. Annie Andrews For U.S. Senate". The MinorityEye. June 4, 2025. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  52. ↑ "314 Action Fund Endorses Dr. Annie Andrews for U.S. Senate, as a Guardian of Public Health". 314 Action. June 18, 2025. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  53. ↑ "EMILYs List Endorses Dr. Annie Andrews in South Carolina's U.S. Senate Race". emilyslist.org. March 17, 2026. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  54. ↑ "Candidates". Joint Action Committee for Political Affairs.
  55. ↑ "Candidates". Vote Mama PAC. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
  56. 1 2 Jacquot, Bryce (May 29, 2025). "Democrat Lee Johnson gains key endorsements in U.S. Senate race against Lindsey Graham". WCIV. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  57. ↑ "FEC Form 2 for Report FEC-1927273". Federal Election Commission. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
  58. ↑ Bassett, Marley (March 25, 2026). "LIST: 2026 primary elections in the Midlands". www.wistv.com. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  59. ↑ "Candidate Detail". South Carolina Election Commission.
  60. ↑ "FEC Form 2 for Report FEC-1952771". docquery.fec.gov. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  61. ↑ Deanne, Emily (January 28, 2026). "Lowcountry native, veteran Jack Ellison enters race for SC's 1st Congressional District". WCIV. Retrieved May 28, 2026.
  62. ↑ "FEC Form 2 for Report FEC-1850754". Federal Election Commission. Retrieved March 30, 2025.
  63. ↑ "Senate Ratings". Inside Elections. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
  64. ↑ "2026 Senate Forecast". Race to the WH. Retrieved March 19, 2025.
  65. ↑ "Battle for the Senate 2026". RealClearPolitics. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  66. ↑ "2026 Senate ratings". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
  67. ↑ "2026 CPR Senate Race Ratings". Cook Political Report. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  68. ↑ "2026 Senate Forecast". The Economist. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  69. ↑ "2026 Election United States House - South Carolina". fec.gov. Federal Election Commission. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
  70. ↑ "Recent Polling in South Carolina" (PDF). Impact Research. March 11, 2026. Retrieved March 17, 2026 – via DocumentCloud.
  71. 1 2 Williams, Jim (December 8, 2025). "Lindsey Graham Deeply Unpopular Heading into Reelection Year" (PDF). Public Policy Polling. Retrieved December 12, 2025.
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