US Midterms 2026: Lindsey Graham's sister loses as South Carolina Senate race flips after 30 years

Democrats have flipped a key US Senate seat in South Carolina, ending the Republican Party's nearly three-decade hold on the state’s Senate representation. Democrat Annie Andrews defeated Trump-backed Republican Darline Graham in the closely watched race. Graham had been appointed to temporarily fill the seat following the death of her brother, longtime Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, in July. The result marks a significant shift in South Carolina's Senate politics.

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NBC News and CNN called the race in Andrews's favor. Graham was appointed to the Senate by South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster after Trump recommended her for the role. The president described the appointment as a "fabulous tribute" to her late brother, a prominent foreign-policy hawk and close Trump ally.

Lindsey Graham -- who served in the House of Representatives before winning election to the Senate in 2002 -- never married or had children and was exceptionally close to his sister. Their mother died when Lindsey Graham was 20 and his sister was 12, followed less than two years later by their father's death from a heart attack.

Lindsey Graham, then 22, formally adopted his 13-year-old sister, helped her finish school and largely raised her. While her brother was an influential voice on foreign policy issues, Darline Graham struggled when asked about Taiwan during a recent debate, admitting that she was “not that informed on national security.” She was still able to defeatveteran congressman Ralph Norman to secure the Republican nomination, with Trump campaigning for her and urging supporters to vote as though his own name were on the ballot.