Democratic Senate Candidate Claims She Will Stand Up to Her Party, as Graham Links Her to “Democratic Socialists”

Annie Andrews, Democratic candidate for the US Senate from South Carolina, and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham clashed during a US Senate election debate.

Sen. Darlene Graham competes with her opponent during a debate in SC

Republican Sen. Darlene Graham and Democratic challenger Annie Andrews clash during a U.S. Senate debate in South Carolina on October 11, 2026.

Sen. Darlene Graham, R-S.C., and Democratic challenger Annie Andrews clashed Sunday night during a South Carolina Senate debate that also included Libertarian candidate Kasie Whitener.

Graham said he was "concerned about socialist Democrats" and emphasized that after the massacre of Israelis by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023, Democrats in New York cheered "because of the death of over a thousand people."

"Annie Andrews is not going to stand up to the SDP. She's just going to join them," Graham said.

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Andrews responded by claiming he was willing to stand up to his party.

"I told you my opponent is going to call me a socialist and he's done it again. He's been told to come here and call me Bernie, Ocasio, Mamdani. That's what's in his script," Andrews said, referring to Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.

"But the truth is, my name is Annie Andrews. And there shouldn't be any confusion about that because, unlike my opponent, I haven't changed my name recently," she said.

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"The real difference between me and Sen. Graham is that I stand up to my own party and always put South Carolina first. He seems to believe that the job he has right now is to be the White House ambassador to South Carolina. It's his job to represent South Carolina. He knows how to read their scripts and do what they're told. And as we can do better."

Graham responded by saying that his "legal name is Graham" and "always has been Graham." She explained: "I lost my parents when I was a little girl and I kept the Graham name so I felt connected to them. So my name, every document I've signed has Graham on it."

After the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster selected Darlene, the late lawmaker's sister, to serve the remainder of her brother's term in the Senate.

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