South Carolina Senate 2026
A sourced guide to the South Carolina U.S. Senate race between Annie Andrews and Darline Graham: every public poll, the ratings and where official results will appear. This is not an endorsement.
The South Carolina senate race: history, data and the final week
October polling tightened: NYT/Siena (Oct 19-26) found a 48-48 tie, while ECU (Oct 19-24) had Graham ahead 51-47 and Trafalgar (Oct 16-18) had her ahead 48.6-45.6. Andrews has campaigned on grocery, gas and health-care costs and on Graham's experience; Graham has said she would "keep the pressure on Russia" after Trump waived sanctions under a law named for Lindsey Graham (Roll Call). Ralph Norman has said he will not appear at events with Graham, and some of his supporters have pushed a write-in campaign. Republicans added $5 million from the Senate Leadership Fund and a Trump rally on Oct 21.
How this state voted before
Historic vote shares describe previous electorates, not a projection of the 2026 outcome.
Meet the candidates
Annie Andrews
Pediatrician and professor of pediatrics at the Medical University of South Carolina who joined Moms Demand Action after the 2018 Parkland shooting and has researched gun-violence prevention. She was the 2022 Democratic nominee in South Carolina's 1st congressional district, losing to Nancy Mace 56.5% to 42.5%. She launched her Senate campaign on May 29, 2025 and won the June 9, 2026 Democratic primary with 61.5%.
Darline Graham
Sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, who became her legal guardian after their parents died in the 1970s; she had never held office and has worked with people with disabilities. Gov. Henry McMaster appointed her to the seat on July 13, 2026 and she was sworn in July 14. She won the Aug 11 special Republican primary with 32.8% and the Aug 25 runoff over Rep. Ralph Norman, 52.4% to 47.6%.
Also on the ballot: Kasie Whitener (Libertarian) and Mark Hackett (Constitution); some Ralph Norman supporters have promoted a write-in effort for him.
Ratings and money
Cook and Sabato’s Crystal Ball rate it Lean R; Inside Elections moved it from Lean R to Tilt R on Oct. 29.
Roll Call (Oct 16): Andrews raised $9.4 million in the third quarter and had $2.3 million on hand Sept 30; Graham raised $1.8 million after launching her campaign July 23 and had $610,000 on hand. The Senate Leadership Fund put $5 million into the race to support Graham (AP, via Newsweek and Roll Call).
Race timeline
Sen. Lindsey Graham dies
Gov. McMaster appoints Darline Graham; sworn in Jul 14
Special GOP primary: Graham 32.8%, Norman 24.6%
GOP runoff: Graham beats Norman 52.4%-47.6%
SCETV debate: Graham, Andrews, Whitener
Trump rallies for Graham in the Upstate (Pendleton)
Election Day
Polls and polling average
Every public poll of Annie Andrews vs. Darline Graham we have tracked since Aug 22: 15 in all, 10 of them from independent pollsters that count toward the average. Updated October 31, 2026. Tap a dot for the poll’s details and source; switch to Margin for the clearest read on a phone. This is published polling, not a forecast.
Loading the interactive poll tracker… Every public poll we track for this race, newest first:
| Fielded | Pollster / source | Sample | Andrews (D) | Graham (R) | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 27–Oct 29 | Patinkin Research Strategies Partisan | 500 LV | 48 | 43 | D+5 |
| Oct 19–Oct 26 | New York Times / Siena | 707 LV | 48 | 48 | Tie |
| Oct 14–Oct 25 | The Citadel | 890 LV | 39 | 43 | R+4 |
| Oct 16–Oct 25 | Targoz Market Research Partisan | 895 LV | 46 | 47 | R+1 |
| Oct 19–Oct 24 | East Carolina University | 955 LV | 47 | 51 | R+4 |
| Oct 15–Oct 21 | Impact Research Partisan | 800 LV | 45 | 44 | D+1 |
| Oct 16–Oct 18 | Trafalgar Group | 1,095 LV | 45.6 | 48.6 | R+3 |
| Oct 5–Oct 8 | Rasmussen Reports | 837 LV | 45 | 49 | R+4 |
| Sep 28–Sep 29 | InsiderAdvantage | 1,200 LV | 45 | 46 | R+1 |
| Sep 23–Sep 25 | Trafalgar Group | 1,087 LV | 42.3 | 43.4 | R+1.1 |
| Sep 14 | Rasmussen Reports | 1,006 LV | 43 | 48 | R+5 |
| Sep 8–Sep 9 | InsiderAdvantage | 1,200 LV | 43 | 45 | R+2 |
| Aug 26–Aug 28 | Abacus Data | 306 LV | 42 | 55 | R+13 |
| Aug 18–Aug 24 | Impact Research Partisan | 700 LV | 41 | 41 | Tie |
| Aug 14–Aug 22 | Impact Research Partisan | 900 LV | 42 | 39 | D+3 |
Source notebook
Selected sources for this page; every poll has its own source link in the table above. Reviewed 2026-10-31.
Corrections welcome: corrections@electiontracker.live. Independent coverage; no endorsement.
What to watch on November 3
Polls close statewide at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. The Citadel's poll found about 2% of likely voters choosing a Ralph Norman write-in when offered, so write-in totals and Graham's margins in the Upstate are worth watching.
Reading a race call: preliminary totals are unofficial. Media projections must name the projecting outlet; certification comes from authorized election officials.