Lindsey Graham, Annie Andrews clinch U.S. Senate nominations in South Carolina

Sen. Lindsey Graham defeated five Republican challengers Tuesday, paving the way for him to compete for reelection in November.

It’s the fifth time Graham earned the Republican nomination without going to a runoff, which happens when one candidate doesn’t receive a majority of votes.

The senior senator’s race was called by the AP just before 9 p.m., when Graham had 58.6% of the vote. All results are unofficial.

Graham will face Democratic nominee Annie Andrews, who also won her primary Tuesday evening. Andrews, a pediatrician from Charleston, ran unsuccessfully in 2022 against U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace.

Her race was called by the AP just after 8:30 p.m. With half the votes counted, she had 61%, according to unofficial AP results.

Andrews said she would quit her job as a pediatrician at the end of June to campaign full time.

“I’m exhausted, but the days that I do still get to go work in the hospital, it reminds me of why I’m doing this,” Andrews said Tuesday afternoon.

Graham earned support from President Donald Trump, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, raised millions of dollars early in the campaign and spent more than $28.7 million ahead of the primary election. Upstate businessman Mark Lynch sunk $5 million of his own fortune into the campaign, but it wasn’t enough to send the race to a runoff.

“What I’m most proud of is that South Carolina validated what I’ve been doing for our state, who I am, and what I believe, and what I stand for,” Graham said.

Several other Republican candidates also ran with slim campaign apparatuses, including Calvin Cowen of Spartanburg County, York County motivational speaker Thomas Dismukes, Horry County business owner Patrick Herrmann and Columbia social media influencer Darius Mitchell.

Former South Carolina Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer and Project 2025 writer Paul Dans dropped out of the race before ballots were finalized.

Throughout the campaign, Lynch frequently characterized himself as further right politically than Graham and criticized the incumbent’s role in promoting the war in Iran. Several members of South Carolina’s hard-right House Freedom Caucus endorsed Lynch, in addition to former Trump staff and supporters, like ex Border Patrol leader Greg Bovino and Marjorie Taylor Greene.

But Graham called Lynch’s views “radical” and said he would hurt the Republican Party’s brand if elected.

“I am grateful this was a decisive win,” Graham said. “It’s the most challenged I’ve ever been in terms of money, the most challenged I’ve ever been in terms of the garbage thrown at me.”

On the campaign trail, Graham flexed his relationship with Trump and his role on the Judiciary Committee, telling voters he could uniquely help deliver on the president’s priorities and confirm conservative judges. In a virtual campaign event on the eve of the election, Trump said he and Graham were “best of friends.”

McMaster also commended Graham in a campaign stop in late May, telling supporters the senator was a “living asset” for South Carolina.

“This is a man, we’re lucky to have him,” McMaster said. “We couldn’t make another one if we started right now.”

Graham also defended his role in propelling the war with Iran forward, which has wounded or killed U.S. military and resulted in climbing gas prices across South Carolina. Graham impassionately argued the war was essential to keep the U.S. safe from potential Iranian nuclear attacks at several campaign stops.

He’ll go up against Andrews, the pediatrician, in November.

“People are ready for a new kind of leader,” Andrews said in an interview Tuesday afternoon. “Someone who’ll actually get up there and do the work.”

Andrews raised more than $8 million this cycle, but Graham brought in more than $22.8 million. Both ended the pre-primary reporting period on May 20 with less than $5 million to spend heading into the general election.

Andrews ran against Upstate businessman Brandon Brown and Columbia logistics professional Kyle Freeman.

“We’re going to have a spirited contest,” Graham said Tuesday.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated

This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 9:20 PM.