The only scheduled debate of South Carolina's fiercely contested U.S. Senate race turned combative on Sunday, October 11, 2026, as Republican Sen. Darline Graham and Democratic challenger Annie Andrews traded sharp personal and policy attacks for an hour at SCETV studios in Columbia. Libertarian candidate Kasie Whitener also shared the stage at the debate, moderated by Gavin Jackson and Maayan Schechter, with the Nov. 3 election three weeks away.
A seat upended by tragedy
The seat had been held by Lindsey Graham since 2003 before his death on July 11, according to the Greenville News. His sister Darline Graham was appointed to fill it and won the special Republican primary with President Donald Trump's endorsement. She is now seeking a full term — and the race has tightened well beyond what Republicans expected in deep-red South Carolina. The Cook Political Report downgraded the contest from Solid R to Likely R on Sept. 23, and a major Republican super PAC is spending $5 million to shore up Graham's campaign, per election coverage. The RealClearPolling average has Graham at 45.7% to Andrews' 43.3%.
The clash on stage
The candidates battled over Trump, rising prices, war powers, Social Security, immigration and the spread of AI data centers. Andrews, a Charleston pediatrician, called Graham "unserious and unqualified" and challenged her to a second televised debate; Graham declined, saying she would rather spend her time meeting voters, and skipped the post-debate press, leaving spokesman T.W. Arrighi to field questions.
Graham branded Andrews "the most radical liberal that's ever run for state office in South Carolina," attacking her on healthcare, guns, Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" and support from a Jane Fonda PAC. Andrews pushed back, offered a place in her campaign to Republicans who feel "left behind," and distanced herself from national Democrats: "both parties have failed on immigration," she said, adding that she supports the Second Amendment, a secure border, deportation of immigrants who break the law, and lower middle-class taxes.
The debate also turned personal. Andrews jabbed that "unlike my opponent, I haven't changed my name recently" — Graham dropped her married name Nordone when appointed. Graham replied that her legal name has always been Graham, kept so she felt connected to her parents, who died when she was young. On the Iran war, Graham defended it as "peace through strength" and claimed Iran nearly had a nuclear weapon — an assertion CNN noted is not backed up by known U.S. intelligence; Andrews countered that Graham has declined three chances to vote to end it.
What each side claims
Graham's camp says Andrews is a radical liberal who deceives voters on healthcare, guns and transgender issues, and presents Graham as the honest, Trump-aligned conservative South Carolina needs. Andrews' camp says Graham is an unqualified, appointed insider who ducked real scrutiny — declining a second debate and the spin room — rubber-stamps the Iran war and was handed the seat by political insiders rather than voters.
What happens next
With the candidates unlikely to meet again before Nov. 3, the race moves into its final sprint: a $5 million GOP rescue effort, a pediatrician running as a Democrat who talks like a border hawk, and a Libertarian offering an alternative to both. In a state Republicans have long taken for granted, this one is a fight to the finish.
Watch: the full Oct. 11 South Carolina U.S. Senate debate, posted by South Carolina ETV — Graham, Andrews and Whitener clashing on healthcare, the Iran war, immigration and data centers.
Music in this post's reel: Kevin MacLeod - Hitman (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 3.0
Sources: CNN, Greenville News, CUBNSC, enmnews