Annie Andrews won South Carolina’s Democratic primary for Senate on Tuesday, CBS News has projected, as Democrats once again try to unseat Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham in November.
Andrews is a pediatrician who faced off against Republican Rep. Nancy Mace two years ago and lost.
Graham defeated several primary challengers on Tuesday night, winning the Republican nomination, CBS News also projected.
Graham has held the seat since 2003, and an upset isn’t expected. He defeated Democrat Jaime Harrison by 10 points in 2000, and no Democrat has won statewide office in South Carolina since 2000.
In March, CBS News asked Andrews why she would run against those odds.
“So I don’t mind being an underdog,” Andrews said. “I am a fighter. And it is clear to me that people in South Carolina are ready for something different. Lindsey Graham is a career, corrupt, cowardly politician. He’s been our senator for 23 years now. And people understand that he really has abandoned South Carolinians.”
Brown told WCSC that Graham isn’t a powerhouse.
“I don’t see Senator Graham as a powerhouse anything,” Brown said. “We have to have a candidate who’s going to be arguing every day for the interest of South Carolinians and putting South Carolinians first, serving purpose, not power.”