South Carolina Senate: Trump's Endorsed Candidate Loses in Deep-Red State
Annie Andrews defeated Darline Graham, securing a Democratic Senate seat in South Carolina for the first time in over 20 years and marking a key loss for Republicans.
By Takeshi Davidson ·
President Donald Trump suffered a notable defeat on Tuesday when voters in South Carolina rejected his endorsed candidate for the U.S. Senate. The race resulted in a Democratic victory in a state that has been reliably Republican for decades.
Annie Andrews won the seat, defeating Darline Graham, the sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham. This outcome gives Democrats a Senate seat in the southern state for the first time in more than 20 years. Trump had actively urged Graham to run and campaigned with her twice during the final weeks of the midterm campaign.
The loss in South Carolina was part of a wider pattern of setbacks for Republicans on election night. Democrats also flipped a Senate seat in North Carolina and retained a key seat in Georgia. Both states were won by Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
In North Carolina, Democrat Roy Cooper defeated Republican Michael Whatley. Whatley was a close ally of Trump. The seat had been vacant after incumbent Republican Thom Tillis retired following a public clash with the president. In Georgia, Democrat Jon Ossoff defeated Republican Mike Collins, a Trump supporter who faced scrutiny over his ties to a white nationalist and an unresolved House ethics investigation.
Political analysts view these results as a referendum on Trump's leadership, a framing the president encouraged by telling voters to "pretend I’m on the ballot." About 24 hours after making that statement, Trump posted on social media that he was not on the ballot and that his party would have won in a landslide had he been. Senator Andy Kim of New Jersey said the strategy worked for Democrats, noting that "Everyone is thinking about him and the harm that he has done to them directly."
The AP Voter Poll indicated that economic concerns drove many voters. About two-thirds of voters nationally said Trump’s policies had worsened economic conditions, while only about 3 in 10 said they had improved conditions. Similarly, about two-thirds said his tariff policies hurt the national or local economy. More than half of voters stated that Trump is not a strong leader and does not fight for people like them.
A Democratic majority in Congress is expected to launch investigations into the Trump administration's policies, personnel conduct, and interactions with private corporations. Senior Democrats have identified the Trump family’s business dealings and the administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation as top targets. House Speaker Hakeem Jeffries has suggested that Democrats may pursue impeachment of top Cabinet members, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, rather than the president directly.
