SC Dem Senate candidate claims she will stand up to her party as Graham ties her to 'socialist Democrats'

Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., and Democratic challenger Annie Andrews clashed on Sunday night during the South Carolina U.S. Senate debate, which also included Libertarian candidate Kasie Whitener.

Graham said she is "concerned about the socialist Democrats," asserting that after Hamas terrorists slaughtered Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023, Democrats in New York cheered "over the death of over a thousand people."

"Annie Andrews will not stand up to the socialist Democratic Party. She's only going to join them," Graham declared.

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Senator Darline Graham, R-S.C., speaks to members of the media after casting her ballot at a polling location inside Lake Murray Baptist Church during a special primary election in Lexington, S.C., on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. (Sam Wolfe/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Andrews fired back, claiming that she is willing to stand up to her party.

"I told you my opponent was going to call me a socialist and there she's done it again. She's been told to come out here and call me Bernie, Ocasio, Mamdani. That's what's in her script," Andrews said, referring to Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

"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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South Carolina Democratic Senate candidate Dr. Annie Andrews speaks during a campaign stop at the Columbia Bethlehem Community Center on Oct. 6, 2026 in Columbia, S.C. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

"The real difference between me and Sen. Graham is that I will stand up to my own party and I will always put South Carolina first. She seems to believe the job she has right now is to be the White House's ambassador to South Carolina. The job is to represent South Carolina. She considers the job to be to read their scripts and do their bidding. And we can do better," Andrews asserted.

Graham fired back, saying that her "legal name is Graham" and "has always been Graham." She explained, "I lost my parents when I was a little girl and I kept the name Graham so that I felt connected to them. So my name, every document I have ever signed, has Graham on it."

After the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster tapped the late lawmaker's sister Darline to serve the remainder of her brother's Senate term.

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President Donald Trump is backing Sen. Darline Graham for election to a full six-year Senate term.