Who's In the Race

Four candidates advanced to the general election for the South Carolina U.S. Senate Seat (Class II): Republican Darline Graham, Democrat Annie Andrews, Kasie Whitener, and Mark Hackett.

Graham, the incumbent senator, won the Republican special runoff on Aug. 25, defeating Rep. Ralph Norman 52.5 percent to 47.5 percent. Andrews, a pediatrician from Charleston, won the Democratic primary on June 9. Whitener advanced as the Libertarian nominee and Hackett as the Constitution Party nominee.

What They Stand For

Annie Andrews (Democrat)

Andrews centers her campaign on healthcare affordability, calling for lower costs for families while explicitly distancing herself from Medicare for All, which her campaign describes as "an outdated policy." On reproductive rights, she supports restoring the federal protections that existed under *Roe v. Wade*, guaranteeing access to contraception and infertility care, and expanding maternal health services in rural communities, framing the issue through her clinical experience as a physician.

Andrews calls for universal criminal background checks on all gun buyers, raising the minimum purchase age to 21, and requiring mental health checks, while stating respect for the Second Amendment. She also advocates for stronger investment in public schools, more affordable child care, and economic policies she says would reduce grocery and everyday costs for working families. A separate plank calls for regulating Big Tech's access to children's data, arguing tech companies should not profit from exploiting minors.

Darline Graham (Republican)

Graham's campaign website frames her candidacy around continuing the current administration's policy direction and prominently features a Trump endorsement, with a tagline describing her as "fighting for South Carolina after 30 years of service." On immigration, she has backed the Trump administration's enforcement agenda, including measures to remove undocumented immigrants and further secure the southern border, stating publicly that more action is still needed.

As a sitting senator, Graham introduced a resolution designating a "Religious Education Week" to celebrate religious education in the United States (S.Res.891, 119th Congress, introduced Sept. 23), according to Congress.gov. Her campaign has also launched an interactive website called "Annie's Waiting Room" targeting her Democratic opponent's positions on gun regulations, gender-affirming care for minors, and transgender athletes in women's sports, signaling those as areas of contrast. A dedicated issues page was not publicly accessible on her campaign site at the time of this writing; the most detailed policy statements came from her official Senate press releases.

Kasie Whitener (Libertarian)

Whitener, a clinical assistant professor of entrepreneurship at the University of South Carolina and chair of the SC Libertarian Party State Committee, makes the national debt her top priority. She supports passing a balanced budget amendment and has stated that all major spending categories (including Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid, and defense) will need to be "trimmed or otherwise adjusted."

Whitener opposes foreign military intervention, citing the Libertarian non-aggression principle, and has specifically stated she does not support U.S. military actions such as those in Iran. She frames her candidacy as an alternative to what she calls a "corrupt duopoly" of the two major parties, pledging to prioritize constituents over party operatives. She also supports voter ID laws, citing the SAVE Act as an example of the type of policy she backs.

Mark Hackett (Constitution Party)

Hackett, a Greenville house painter, is the Constitution Party's nominee. No official campaign website, official social media account, or candidate-authored policy statement for Hackett could be located. Third-party aggregators including Civoren and BallotReady confirm his candidacy and party affiliation but contain no substantive policy positions attributed to him directly.

The Money Behind the Race

South Carolina U.S. Senate 2026 outside spending has been heavily concentrated on Republican-targeted candidates. Outside groups directed nearly $11.98 million toward Republican candidates and about $141,000 toward the Democratic candidate.

Of the total outside money recorded, $7.6 million went toward opposing candidates and $4.5 million toward supporting them, meaning more outside cash has been spent tearing candidates down than building them up. The outside spending figures cover activity through Sept. 21, with notices through Sept. 28.

Race Outlook: Ratings and Betting Markets

Cook Political Report rated the race "Solid Republican" as of Aug. 20. Sabato's Crystal Ball also rated it "Solid Republican" as of Aug. 26. Inside Elections rated it "Likely Republican" as of Aug. 6. The consensus rating, as of Aug. 20, is "Likely Republican."

Prediction market Kalshi put the Republican's probability of winning at 87 percent and the Democrat's at 13 percent as of Sept. 28, based on $1.7 million in trading volume.

In the 2022 Senate race, Republican Tim Scott won with nearly 63 percent of the vote. Republicans won six of seven House districts in both 2022 and 2024, with Democrat James E. Clyburn holding the 6th District as the lone exception in each cycle. In the 2024 presidential race, Donald Trump carried South Carolina with about 58 percent of the vote.

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