'Unserious and Unqualified': South Carolina Senate Rivals Trade Brutal Attacks as Online Feud Explodes Onstage
Annie Andrews and Darline Graham participated in a debate on Sunday, October 11.
Oct. 12 2026, Updated 12:45 p.m. ET
Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., and Democratic nominee Annie Andrews used the only head-to-head debate of the South Carolina Senate race to argue over qualifications, honesty, and the Graham name, with Libertarian Kasie Whitener also on the stage in Columbia, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Andrews, a physician who has never held elected office, built her attack on a moment from the Republican runoff, when Graham was asked whether the United States has a national security interest in Taiwan and the South China Sea, struggled with the answer, and said, "National security is not my thing."
Debate Stage Battle: Annie Andrews vs. Darline Graham
Annie Andrews called out Darline Graham's (above) previous comments.
"If your surgeon said that appendectomies aren't really his thing, would you still hand him a scalpel? No," Andrews said, as she also called Graham "unserious and unqualified."
Graham responded by saying that Andrews had not been honest with the people of the state.
"You are deceiving the people of South Carolina. You have flip-flopped on everything," she said. "At least I'm honest. If I don't know something, I am glad to say it, and I'll say it again tonight."
Annie Andrews Goes After the Graham Name
Darline Graham defended her name on the debate stage.
Andrews also suggested that Graham had reached for her maiden name because it carried a political advantage.
Graham rejected the premise and the implication.
"My legal name is Graham; it has always been Graham," she said, and she told the audience she had kept the name to stay connected to her parents, who both died when she was young.
Graham then turned it back around on Andrews, saying, "Thank you for bringing up a horrible, tragic memory for me."
Lindsey Graham's Death Set Up Heated Race
Lindsey Graham's death allowed for a competitive Senate race.
Lindsey Graham died suddenly in July while he was seeking a fifth Senate term, and his sister, who had worked in state government and supported his campaigns for decades without holding office herself, was appointed to serve the remainder of the term.
She entered a crowded special primary, advanced to a runoff and won it with President Trump's endorsement. During the debate on Sunday, October 11, Darline mentioned her support for Trump, though she did so less sharply than she had during the primary, and Andrews used that as an argument.
Andrews called Darline "the White House's ambassador to South Carolina" and claimed she would not break with the administration.
South Carolina Could Be In Play
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Early voting in South Carolina begins in one week.
Early voting begins October 19, which leaves the campaigns little time to turn Sunday's exchanges into the argument voters hear before they cast a ballot.
The race has tightened enough in the final weeks that outside Republican groups have spent millions on Darline's behalf in what has been described as an insurance policy for a seat the party did not expect to defend.
The winner, whether Darline, Andrews or Whitener, would be the first woman South Carolina has sent to the U.S. Senate.
