Republicans are mounting an aggressive effort to retain the South Carolina Senate seat once held by the late Lindsey Graham.
The party has committed another $5 million to support Darline Graham, Lindsey’s sister, who was appointed to the seat following his unexpected death in July.
While many initially viewed Darline’s appointment as temporary, she later secured the Republican nomination by winning the primary runoff.
According to Axios, the new spending is being treated as an “insurance policy” designed to protect a reliably Republican seat. Lindsey Graham had previously won the contest by margins of more than 10 percentage points.
But the race now appears considerably tighter. An InsiderAdvantage poll conducted in late September showed Darline leading by just one point.
President Donald Trump has offered Darline his full backing, while launching a personal attack on Annie Andrews, the Democrat challenging her in the Palmetto State. Trump referred to the candidate as “Trannie Annie,” using an offensive transgender slur.
Trump also held a campaign rally for Darline in recent weeks and has promised to return to South Carolina before the general election.
On Monday, the president used another derogatory transgender term in a blistering Truth Social post targeting Andrews, a Charleston physician and the Democratic nominee, while urging voters to support Darline.
Trump labeled her “Annie ‘Trannie’ Andrews,” despite the fact that Andrews is not transgender.
David Beasley, a former Republican governor of South Carolina, called Trump’s remarks ‘abhorrent’ in a post on X.
“Elections don’t have to be about cruelty and lies. South Carolina deserves better,” Andrews said, calling on voters to “reject politics based on division and hate.”
President Donald Trump and Senator Darline Graham attend a campaign rally on August 21, 2026, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Dr. Annie Andrews, the Democrat running for South Carolina’s Senate seat, was nicknamed ‘trannie’ by President Donald Trump
In his Monday night post, Trump described Darline Graham as a “High Quality person, maybe the Highest,” before sharply criticizing her Democratic opponent.
He accused Andrews of supporting “Transgender for Everyone, Open Borders, Defunding the Police, High Taxes, a Weak Military,” as well as proposals that he said would undermine Americans’ gun rights.
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“Trannie is not for South Carolina, and South Carolina must show, in the upcoming Election, that it is not for her. VOTE FOR DARLINE GRAHAM,” Trump wrote.
Andrews responded by shifting attention away from the personal attacks and toward household costs, family concerns and her record as a mother and pediatrician.
Speaking with Forbes last month, Andrews said she did not “support biological men playing in women’s sports.” She also said she does not “support, and has never performed gender surgery on minors.”
“As a mom and a pediatrician, I’m in this race to fight for my patients, my three kids, and South Carolina,” Andrews told Our News Outlet.
“And I’m going to work with anyone to put South Carolina first, because lowering costs and making life better for families across our state is going to take all of us working together. If you care more about your bills than the politics in Washington, this campaign is for you.”
Andrews easily won the Democratic primary in June after entering the race to challenge Lindsey Graham. His death transformed the campaign, leaving her to face a Republican field scrambling to succeed him.
Trump called Andrews ‘trannie’ in a Monday night post on Truth Social
Darline Graham ultimately emerged victorious, defeating Congressman Ralph Norman in an August runoff after the pair topped a sprawling 10-way Republican primary.
Governor Henry McMaster appointed Graham to finish her brother’s term, while Trump urged her to run for the seat outright, swiftly endorsed her and hit the campaign trail for her in South Carolina last week.
Democrats still face a daunting climb as South Carolina has not sent a Democrat to the Senate since 1956.
However, Andrews is among a crop of Democrats showing surprising signs of life in deep-red territory as Republicans grow increasingly nervous about the midterms.
GOP insiders fear soaring energy costs could punish the party at the ballot box and jeopardize its congressional majorities.
Still, GOP groups are flush with cash and outspending Democrats by millions in several races, with huge advertising advantages in states including Ohio, Texas, Iowa, Alaska and Kansas, according to AdImpact.
Trump, meanwhile, has brushed aside his sagging approval ratings as ‘fake,’ insisting he could beat anyone running against him today by 20 points and accusing pollsters of being ‘almost as corrupt as the writers.’
