South Carolina Senate Debate: Graham, Andrews Clash on Party Ties, 'Socialist Democrats'
Incumbent Senator Darline Graham accused her Democratic challenger Annie Andrews of being aligned with "socialist Democrats," while Andrews countered that she would stand up to her party.
Republican incumbent Darline Graham and Democratic challenger Annie Andrews engaged in sharp exchanges during a recent South Carolina U.S. Senate debate, with Graham repeatedly characterizing Andrews as beholden to "socialist Democrats."
Graham, appointed to the Senate earlier this year, directly accused Andrews of lacking the independence to challenge her party's leadership. "Annie Andrews will not stand up to the socialist Democratic Party. She's only going to join them," Graham stated during the debate, which also featured Libertarian candidate Kasie Whitener.
Graham invoked the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, claiming that Democrats in New York cheered the deaths of over a thousand people, and suggested Andrews would align with such sentiments.
Andrews pushed back against the characterization, asserting her own independence and questioning Graham's legislative priorities. "I told you my opponent was going to call me a socialist and there she's done it again. She's been told to come out here and call me Bernie, Ocasio, Mamdani. That's what's in her script," Andrews said, referencing figures like Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Andrews added, "The truth is my name is Annie Andrews. And there shouldn't be any confusion about that because unlike my opponent, I haven't changed my name recently." She declared, "I will stand up to my own party and I will always put South Carolina first." Andrews criticized Graham, suggesting the senator acts more as "the White House's ambassador to South Carolina" than a representative of the state.
Graham, whose legal name has always been Graham, explained that she retained the name following the death of her parents in her childhood as a way to feel connected to them. She was appointed to the Senate to serve the remainder of her late brother Lindsey Graham's term. Former President Donald Trump has endorsed Senator Graham in her bid for a full term in the Senate.