Progressive Pediatrician Announces Bid To Oust Lindsey Graham

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Former Democrat congressional candidate Annie Andrews announced her 2026 campaign against “Republican” U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham this week.

“I’m a pediatrician, not a politician,” Andrews declared in announcing her candidacy. “But either way, I know how to handle people who are full of sh*t.”

FITSNews reported on Andrews’ impending candidacy last month. She is the second Democrat to announce her intention to run in next spring’s partisan primary election for this seat. Earlier this month, Upstate engineer and businessman Lee Johnson announced his candidacy for the Democrat nomination.

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An über-liberal, ultra-woke pediatrician, Andrews unsuccessfully challenged Nancy Mace for the Palmetto State’s first congressional district in 2022. Despite raising more than $2 million for her candidacy – and having millions more dumped in via political action committees – Andrews was thrashed by Mace, who received 56.4% of the vote compared to her 42.5%.

Andrews’ decisive defeat in the state’s most competitive U.S. House district indicates she’ll face a steep uphill climb as a Democrat running statewide in South Carolina – which president Donald Trump carried by a 17.8% margin in the 2024 presidential election. No Democrat has won a top-of-the-ticket statewide race in the Palmetto State this millennium. The last to do it? The late Fritz Hollings, who beat centrist GOP congressman Bob Inglis in 1998 to win his final term in the U.S. Senate.

In 2022 – the same year Andrews was pummeled by Mace – Democrat Krystle Matthews registered only 37% of the vote against incumbent U.S. Senator Tim Scott.

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Jamie Harrison, the last Democrat to challenge Graham, failed spectacularly. And expensively. Harrison managed to spend a record amount of money only to lose his race by a double-digit margin.

In classic Democratic Party fashion, Harrison was promoted to Chairman of the DNC for his troubles, where he proceeded to lead his party into another spectacularly expensive defeat in 2024 at the national level.

Andrews also failed-up into a grifting gig after her last defeat, but her new position has been far less auspicious – taking on the role of senior advisor to anti-Second Amendment groups Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action (while finding plenty of time to produce cringe-inducing TikToks).

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Kristi Noem gets ready for Laura Ingraham pic.twitter.com/YVkinDvIkz

— Dr. Annie Andrews (@AnnieAndrewsMD) January 31, 2025

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“She can not be the person to define South Carolina Democrats,” one Democrat elected official told FITSNews. “She does way more harm than good.”

“If South Carolina was only occupied by bitter divorced women, she would run away with it. But that ain’t our state,” the official added.

As for Graham, he remains exceedingly unpopular among Palmetto State Republicans – although he consistently outperforms his approval rating at the ballot box by double-digit margins. In other words, a large percentage of South Carolinians vote for him (in primary and general elections) because they feel they have no other credible option.

Could that be changing this cycle, though?

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Wow, Lindsey Graham booed in South Carolina pic.twitter.com/7YlHZOIgxo

— Acyn (@Acyn) July 1, 2023

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While South Carolina Republicans remain hopelessly divided, Democrats in the Palmetto State continue to run far left candidates and embrace far left causes – which is one reason credible candidates keep leaving the party for the GOP.

As for Palmetto State citizens and taxpayers? They keep getting shortchanged by both major parties…

Keep it tuned to FITSNews as we track developments in this race and many others ahead of the 2026 election cycle.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …

(Via: Travis Bell)

Dylan Nolan is the director of special projects at FITSNews. He graduated from the Darla Moore school of business in 2021 with an accounting degree. Got a tip or story idea for Dylan? Email him here. You can also engage him socially @DNolan2000.

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