Federal race · November 3, 2026

U.S. Senator

U.S. senators represent South Carolina in the U.S. Senate, voting on federal legislation and budgets, confirming presidential nominees, and ratifying treaties.

6-year term. Regular election for the full six-year term beginning Jan. 3, 2027. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) won the June 9, 2026 Republican primary and died on July 11, 2026. Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Lindsey Graham's sister, Darline Graham, to serve the rest of the term, which ends in January 2027; she was sworn in July 14. A special Republican primary on Aug. 11 and a runoff on Aug. 25 chose Darline Graham (52.5%) over U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman as the replacement nominee. Annie Andrews won the June 9 Democratic primary with 61.5%. The Libertarian and Constitution parties also have nominees, so four candidates are printed on the ballot. Catherine Fleming Bruce has been reported as a write-in candidate; her certification status was not confirmed. No separate special election for the remainder of the current term was identified.

The candidates

Listed alphabetically by last name.

  • Annie Andrews

    Pediatrician
    Democratic

    Andrews is a pediatrician who worked at MUSC Children's Hospital in Charleston for about 14 years and was the Democratic nominee for South Carolina's 1st Congressional District in 2022. She won the June 9, 2026 Democratic Senate primary with 61.5% of the vote. Her campaign focuses on health care costs and access, grocery and gas prices, and issues affecting children and families.

  • Darline Graham

    U.S. Senator (appointed July 2026)
    RepublicanIncumbent

    Graham was appointed to the U.S. Senate in July 2026 after the death of her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, and won the Aug. 25 special Republican primary runoff for the full term. Before her appointment she had led the South Carolina Commission for the Blind since 2019, and she had never run for or held elected office. Her campaign centers on affordability, support for President Trump, and conservative positions on abortion, elections and immigration.

  • Mark Hackett

    House painter
    Constitution

    Hackett is the Constitution Party nominee for U.S. Senate. He ran for the U.S. House in South Carolina's 4th District in 2024, receiving about 2.8% of the vote, and is also listed as a 2020 candidate in the 6th District. No campaign website or published platform was found, and he did not respond to a WRDW request for comment.

  • Kasie Whitener

    Clinical Assistant Professor, University of South Carolina; radio co-host
    Libertarian

    Whitener is a writer, business owner, radio host and educator who teaches at the University of South Carolina and is a former chair of the South Carolina Libertarian Party State Committee. The party nominated her for U.S. Senate at its 2026 state convention. Her campaign centers on reducing the national debt, reforming Social Security and Medicare, and limiting the role of the federal government.

Compare on the issues

Summaries of each candidate's stated positions. See each profile for sources and details.

Candidate positions by issue for U.S. Senator
IssueAnnie Andrews
Democratic
Darline Graham
Republican
Mark Hackett
Constitution
Kasie Whitener
Libertarian
Economy & Jobs

Supports raising wages, strengthening workers' rights, expanding affordable child care and paid family leave, and trade policies aimed at protecting South Carolina jobs and farms.

Says the economy must grow and government spending must be cut to bring prices down; names lowering health care costs as a goal.

No public position found yet

Supports a balanced budget amendment and reducing the national debt through lower spending, more revenue and economic growth; opposes protectionist trade policies.

Elections & Democracy

Supports banning corporate PAC and "dark money" spending, barring members of Congress from trading stocks and profiting from insider information, and congressional term limits.

Cosponsors the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and a national voter ID, and says she wanted the Senate to stay in session until it passed. Says only U.S. citizens should vote.

No public position found yet

Supports voter ID requirements like those in the SAVE Act.

Foreign Policy

Says she would seek a path to end the conflict with Iran to bring down gas prices and use congressional oversight on tariffs.

Supported the Russia sanctions bill named for her brother and backs President Trump's approach on Iran; supports U.S. aid to Israel and says economic options should come before ground troops.

No public position found yet

Opposes foreign military intervention, including U.S. military action in Iran.

Abortion

Supports restoring "the protections of Roe v. Wade" and guaranteeing access to contraception and infertility care.

Says "every life is precious" and "every unborn baby deserves the chance to live."

No public position found yetNo public position found yet
Health Care

Supports a public option, protecting and expanding Medicaid and Medicare, lowering prescription drug costs, expanding vaccine access and keeping rural hospitals open.

No public position found yetNo public position found yet

Proposes to "decouple health insurance from health care," with insurance mainly for catastrophic events and less government involvement in insurance.

Social Security & MedicareNo public position found yet

Supports maintaining Social Security and Medicare while cutting "fraud and waste"; opposes Medicare for All; supports more funding for rural hospitals.

No public position found yet

Supports reforming Social Security and Medicare and says major spending categories, including defense, should be trimmed.

Education

Supports full funding for public schools and special education, higher pay for teachers and school staff, and protecting free and reduced-price school meals.

No public position found yetNo public position found yetNo public position found yet
Energy & EnvironmentNo public position found yet

Supports AI and data center growth to compete with China, says local communities should have a voice in siting, and wants data centers to supply their own water and power or help pay utility costs.

No public position found yetNo public position found yet
FederalismNo public position found yetNo public position found yetNo public position found yet

Generally opposes federal mandates on states and says reducing government interference lets people prosper.

Guns

Supports universal background checks, safe storage laws and "banning weapons of war from our streets"; says "We can respect the Second Amendment and still protect our kids."

No public position found yetNo public position found yetNo public position found yet
ImmigrationNo public position found yet

Says people in the country illegally should be deported immediately and opposes birthright citizenship.

No public position found yetNo public position found yet
Taxes

Supports ending tax breaks for "the ultra-wealthy and corporate polluters."

No public position found yetNo public position found yetNo public position found yet

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