by WILL FOLKS
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Interim U.S. senator Darline Graham Nordone of South Carolina is clinging to a narrow lead over Democrat Annie Andrews in their surprisingly competitive race for the U.S. Senate, assuming the latest data from a well-regarded national pollster is to be believed.
According to a survey released on Sunday evening (October 18, 2026) by Atlanta-based strategist Robert Cahaly, Nordone was backed by just 48.6% of likely voters in the ostensibly “ruby red” Palmetto State – which hasn’t sent a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1998.
Andrews was supported by 45.6% of likely voters, putting her right at the cusp of the poll’s 2.9% margin of error.
Libertarian Kasie Whitener drew 3.9% support, while Constitution Party candidate Mark Hackett was supported by 0.8% of respondents. Another 1.2% of respondents were listed as undecided.
Take a look…
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Curiously, Cahaly’s poll does not appear to account in any way, shape or form for the ‘Write-In Ralph’ movement – a surprisingly robust conservative grassroots effort supporting U.S. congressman Ralph Norman on the November ballot.
Does that mean the movement’s momentum is fading? Or was never really there to begin with?
Or does it mean the poll is missing the mark in its methodology?
Like Cahaly’s previous survey, released late last month, the partisan breakdown of this poll raised eyebrows.
Nearly six-out-of-ten of its respondents (59.1%) identified as Republicans, compared to just 29.3% who professed to being Democrats. The remainder of the sample – 11.6% – did not identify with either of the two major parties. Cahaly’s poll also showed a surprisingly elevated level of support for Nordone among black voters – with 30.1% of those sampled purporting to back her candidacy.
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“Darline is not going to get 30% of the Black vote in South Carolina,” former Democrat National Committee (DNC) chairman Jaime Harrison wrote on X.
Cahaly’s latest survey comes as Nordone’s special interest allies are spending millions of dollars attacking Andrews – just as they spent millions of dollars attacking Norman during the Republican primary election for this seat held in August. It also comes just days ahead of a visit from U.S. president Donald Trump to Clemson, S.C. aimed at boosting support for Nordone.
Trump visited Myrtle Beach, S.C. in August to help drag Nordone across the finish line in her August 25, 2026 primary election against Norman.
Early voting ahead of the November 3, 2026 election is set to begin today (October 19, 2026). Keep it tuned to FITSNews as we approach this critical Crossroads 2026 election.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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