Trump lends support for Darline Graham in South Carolina as Republican anxiety rises in Senate race

FORT MILL, S.C. (AP) — Annie Andrews has a request for voters in South Carolina who haven’t sent a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in nearly three decades: Just give me a chance.

“Let’s try something new for once,” Andrews said Wednesday in this rapidly growing part of the Upstate. “If she doesn’t do what she says she’s going to do, you can fire me in six years. I promise that I won’t let you down, that I’m going to win you all over.”

Senate races are often an afterthought in this Republican stronghold. But Andrews, a pediatrician who previously ran unsuccessfully for Congress, has mounted an unexpectedly competitive race against Republican Darline Graham, the sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham. She was appointed in July by Republican Gov. Henry McMaster to fill the remaining months of her brother’s term after his sudden death. In August, she became the GOP nominee to succeed him for a full six-year term.

Holding the seat is essential if Republicans have any hope of keeping their Senate majority. In a sign of the party’s anxiety, President Donald Trump, who backed Darline Graham in her primary, will travel to nearby Rock Hill on Thursday to press the party faithful to show up in next week’s election. The trip marks the second time this month that he has been to South Carolina, a state he won by nearly 18 percentage points in 2024.

“Big Rally in South Carolina for the wonderful Darline Graham, today,” Trump posted on social media Thursday morning. “She is fantastic. Lindsey is watching, and very proud of her!!!”

In this conservative state, Andrews’ success will likely hinge on winning support from disaffected Republicans like Brent Chaplin. The 37-year-old who works in finance and accounting said he’s a registered Republican, “but it’s hard to be that right now.”

He said he voted for Andrews and encouraged voters to think beyond partisan politics.

“You just can’t go and say I’m a Republican, I’m just going to vote Republican,” said Chaplin, who voted for Trump in 2016. “You’ve got to put some brainpower into it and think about it. So hopefully it is a message to the powers that be to wake up, pick better candidates.”

Benjamin Updegraft, a 32-year-old software engineer, expressed frustration that the Senate seat might stay in the Graham family.

“The Senate is not an inherited position,” he said. “This is not a country where these noble titles are passed down between families.”

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Sloan reported from Washington.