This story originally appeared on The Advocate.
In a stunning upset, voters in deep red South Carolina chose Democrat Dr. Annie Andrews as their senator-elect Tuesday, unseating Republican Sen. Darline Graham, the sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham and the candidate hand-selected by President Donald Trump.
The victory followed a campaign in which transgender rights became a flashpoint: Trump attacked Andrews with an anti-transgender slur, while LGBTQ+ advocates condemned her own rhetoric and positions on transgender issues.
It’s the first time since 1998 that South Carolina has elected a Democrat to the Senate, and Andrews is the first woman elected U.S. senator from the Palmetto State.
Sen. Darline Graham was appointed to serve in the Senate following the death of her brother, an outspoken opponent of LGBTQ+ rights who faced years of speculation about his sexuality but publicly denied being gay. The president personally encouraged her to run for her brother’s seat, and she defeated Rep. Ralph Norman in the August Republican primary runoff.
Trump campaigned for Graham in South Carolina last month, as The Advocate reported, using an anti-transgender slur against Andrews.
“Darline’s running against a radical left lunatic named tr***y Annie Andrews,” Trump said at that October rally. A clip showed supporters laughing at the slur and then booing Andrews’ name.
Related: Why transgender voters who feel betrayed, disappointed, and hurt are backing Democrats anyway
While Andrews, who is cisgender, responded to the president by saying name-calling would not lower gas prices, she also drew criticism from LGBTQ+ advocates for releasing a campaign ad in which she said she opposes gender-affirming surgery for minors and transgender women’s and girls’ participation in women’s and girls’ sports, referring to them as “biological men.”
“My career as a pediatrician has always been about taking care of kids, and I’ve got three of my own,” Andrews said to the camera in the 30-second spot. “So, I want you to hear me loud and clear. I don’t support ‘biological men’ playing women’s sports, and I don’t support and haven’t ever performed gender surgery for minors.”
In an open letter, 20 LGBTQ+ groups in South Carolina condemned “fear-based political messages that have been used by local, state and national politicians,” according to The State. The groups objected in particular to describing transgender women and girls as “biological men.”
The Advocate previously reported that Andrews had taken a similar position during her 2022 congressional campaign. Her opposition to transgender inclusion in women’s sports did not spare her from Trump’s attacks.
Andrews launched her campaign to unseat Sen. Lindsey Graham in May 2025, before his death in July at 71. Last month, three sex workers alleged in a documentary that he had paid them for sex, as The Advocate reported, including one who says he was 17 and that Graham questioned his age before continuing the encounter.
Among the participants in the documentary, “The CLOSETocracy,” is Cory Burns, an adult film performer known professionally as Sean Harding. His 2020 social media posts helped propel the “Lady G” allegations into public view, drawing attention to claims that Graham hired male escorts while opposing LGBTQ+ rights.
Graham voted against repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” federal LGBTQ+ employment protections and the Respect for Marriage Act. The documentary’s participants cited the contrast between his voting record and his alleged private conduct as a reason for coming forward.
The Advocate has not independently verified the documentary’s allegations. Darline Graham’s office did not respond to the publication’s request for comment for its October report.
With 87 percent of the vote counted as of press time, Andrews led Graham 51 percent to 47 percent.
At Andrews’ victory celebration Tuesday night, her campaign played one of the late Dolly Parton's most famous songs, “9 to 5.” Parton, who died in August, was hailed as The Advocate’s 2026 Advocate of the Year and an LGBTQ+ ally of a lifetime.
