South Carolina Senate Democratic candidate Annie Andrews released her first ad of the general election on Wednesday after Sen. Darline Graham Nordone (R-SC) secured the GOP nomination in the special primary runoff Tuesday night.
Graham Nordone emerged victorious in the runoff election against Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), securing 52.3% of the vote compared with Norman’s 47.7% in the race to replace her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham.
With the race set between the two women, both looking to be the Palmetto State’s first female senator, Andrews’s new ad leans into her career experience as a pediatrician.
“When I put on this coat, I carry the weight of every patient’s trust,” Andrews said in the 30-second video. “We should expect the same from our leaders. I’m Dr. Annie Andrews. I’m a mom to three kids and a pediatrician. I’m running for Senate to lower healthcare costs. Go after insurance companies ripping us off, and I’ll work with Republicans to cut taxes and keep your family safe. I approve this message because my life’s work has been about helping people. You deserve a senator who does the same.”
Andrews launched her Senate campaign in May 2025, focusing on Lindsey Graham’s closeness with the Trump administration. Since Graham’s death and Graham Nordone’s appointment to the office, Andrews has sought to paint the new nominee as inexperienced.
The Democrat jumped on a clip of Graham Nordone from a debate with Norman in which the senator said she was “not that informed” on national security.
“Darline Graham Nordone is asking for six years as South Carolina’s senator — during wartime — yet has the gall to tell voters ‘national security isn’t my thing,’” Andrews said of Graham’s response. “South Carolina deserves better.”
On the campaign trail, Andrews has focused on affordability, dialing in on lowering healthcare costs. She has also included expanding abortion rights, ending tax breaks for the wealthy, and taking money out of politics. Her campaign website still frames her policies as opposition to Graham.
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While Andrews has branded her campaign in line with other Democratic hopefuls across the country who have seen success, Graham Nordone heads into the general election armed with endorsements from President Donald Trump and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), along with several other South Carolina bigwigs.
Graham Nordone has positioned herself as a champion of Trump’s policies, ready to back the president on all fronts and continue her brother’s legacy.