Annie Andrews and Darline Graham tied in South Carolina Senate poll
A New York Times/Siena poll puts the candidates at 48% each. A separate South Carolina survey gives Graham a one-point lead within its margin of error.
Democrat Annie Andrews and Republican Senator Darline Graham are tied at 48% each in a New York Times/Siena poll of South Carolina’s US Senate race, the Guardian reported on October 29. A separate state poll gives Graham a narrow lead, leaving the candidates’ standing uncertain ahead of the election.
PBS NewsHour had reported the Times/Siena tie on October 28. The Guardian’s subsequent account added that 51% of respondents said Graham lacked the right experience to be an effective senator. Its account did not give the poll’s field dates or margin of error, limiting how precisely the 48% figures can be compared with other surveys.
How the South Carolina polls compare
The South Carolina Policy Council’s poll, conducted October 16–25, put Graham at 47% and Andrews at 46% among likely voters. Its published likely-voter margin of error was plus or minus 3.21 percentage points, so the one-point difference does not establish a clear lead. The council surveyed 1,200 registered voters, using text-to-web responses and additional panel interviews; Targoz Market Research conducted the poll.
The Guardian said other recent polls also showed a close contest, with most placing Graham narrowly ahead. The Policy Council result offers one specific comparison to the Times/Siena tie, although the surveys were conducted at different times and their reported figures do not identify an election winner.
Why the South Carolina race draws attention
South Carolina has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1998, the Guardian reported. Donald Trump carried the state by nearly 18 points in 2024, making a competitive Senate contest there a notable departure from its recent statewide voting record.
Graham was appointed to the seat after her brother, Lindsey Graham, died in July, and entered the race at Trump’s urging, according to the Guardian. She had not previously held elected office. Andrews, a Charleston pediatrician, has built her campaign around her medical career. The Guardian reported that Graham acknowledged during an August debate that she was ‘not that informed on national security’ when asked about US policy on Taiwan.
At a campaign appearance shown by PBS NewsHour, Graham said: ‘Nobody outworks South Carolinians. That's the formula, and it's working, and we're going to keep it going.’ The close poll results show why both campaigns are contesting a seat that Republicans have held for decades; they remain snapshots of voter preferences at the time each survey was taken.
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Sources and context
- South Carolina tossup means state may elect Democrat to Senate for first time in 28 yearsThe Guardian
- New polls suggest surprising Democratic gains in red-state Senate racesPBS NewsHour
- The South Carolina Policy Council 2026 Fall PollSouth Carolina Policy Council
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.