11NOV

Andrews ousts Graham Nordone by 86,285

1 min read

18:10UTC

Annie Andrews banked about 220,000 more early and mail votes than Darline Graham Nordone, then held on as the interim senator won polling day in South Carolina.

← Back to Late ballots flip North Carolina's 3rd Jump to analysis ↓

PoliticsDeveloping

Key takeaway

Andrews won South Carolina's Senate seat on early votes while a Republican leads for governor.

Annie Andrews beat interim Senator Darline Graham Nordone in South Carolina's Senate race, taking 1,034,418 votes to her 948,133, 51.02% to 46.76%, on the South Carolina State Election Commission's unofficial midnight workbook⁠¹. Graham Nordone, the sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, conceded at 11:57pm⁠².

Andrews built the win before polling day. Early votes went her way 609,876 to 404,421 and mail ballots 27,623 to 13,061, about 220,000 votes ahead in all. Graham Nordone then won polling day 530,305 to 396,079, and lost. The Senate Leadership Fund had spent against Andrews through October.

The same ballot did not swing evenly. Attorney General Alan Wilson, the Republican, leads Jermaine Johnson for governor by 1,046,730 votes to 951,437, about 98,600 more votes than Graham Nordone received. In the 1st District, Nancy Lacore (D) leads Jenny Costa Honeycutt by 2,356 votes, or 0.73%, a Democratic gain if it holds.

Deep Analysis

In plain English

South Carolina, a Republican-leaning state in the US South, elected Democrat Annie Andrews to the US Senate. She beat Darline Graham Nordone, a Republican appointed to the seat on an interim basis. Andrews built her lead among people who voted early or by post. Graham Nordone won more votes on polling day itself but not enough to catch up. The same voters still put a Republican, Alan Wilson, ahead in the race for governor, so many of them split their votes between the parties.

Deep Analysis

Root Causes

South Carolina's result split by how people voted. Andrews won early and mail ballots by about 220,000, while Graham Nordone won polling-day votes by about 134,000, so the timing of the vote decided the seat.

The governor's race shows the limit of the swing. Alan Wilson, the sitting attorney general, ran about 98,600 votes ahead of Graham Nordone, which points to voters splitting their tickets rather than abandoning Republicans wholesale.

What could happen next?

Meaning
A Democrat won a South Carolina Senate seat while a Republican led for governor on the same ballot, evidence of ticket-splitting rather than a full party realignment.
Consequence
The 1st District would become a Democratic gain if Nancy Lacore's 0.73% lead survives the count.

Sources:CBS News·South Carolina Election Commission

Mentions:South Carolina State Election Commission →Alan Wilson →Nancy Lacore →Jenny Costa Honeycutt →Lindsey Graham →Senate Leadership Fund →US Senate →Jaime Harrison →Alabama →Democratic Party →South Carolina →Darline Graham Nordone →Annie Andrews →

First Reported In

Update #23 · Democrats take the Senate and the House

CBS News· 5 Nov 2026

Read original →

Causes and effects

This Event

Andrews ousts Graham Nordone by 86,285

South Carolina's split result shows a Democratic Senate win built before polling day, on a ballot where a Republican still leads for governor.

Led to

SC recounts Joe Wilson's 2nd District

Lacore's polling-night lead of 2,356 grew to 3,352, leaving SC-1 just outside the recount line.

Occurred 10 Nov 2026

Read story →

Different Perspectives

University of Florida Election Lab

The lab, run by Michael McDonald, estimates about 124.3 million ballots, a raw midterm record, and turnout of about 49.4% of eligible voters, second to 2018's 50.05%. The raw record reflects population growth more than a record rate, so the late count is working through a near-2018 electorate.

Thune's critics on the right, including Senator Ron Johnson

Ron Johnson backed the failed 31-15 motion to delay Thune's re-election, after activists such as Mike Cernovich blamed the leader for the defeat. Their complaint is that Republicans could have passed the SAVE Act; in January it meets a Democratic Senate instead.

Senator John Thune

Thune was re-elected Senate Republican leader by acclamation on 10 November after a motion to delay failed 31-15. He kept the filibuster that stopped the SAVE Act, the choice his critics on the right blame for the defeat.

House Republicans under Jim Jordan

House Republicans elected Jordan minority leader by 106 votes to 73 over Steve Scalise on 10 November, after Speaker Mike Johnson declined to run. They replaced the leadership that lost the majority, while Senate Republicans kept theirs.

Donald Trump

Trump asked on Truth Social on 9 November whether anybody believed the election "was honest" and blamed the machines, having told The New York Times on polling night he would accept the results. No Republican campaign had sued over a 2026 result by 10 November, so the claim has no case behind it.

Judge David O. Carter

Carter closed the Justice Department's suit over about 20,000 California mail ballots on 10 November after the department withdrew it, writing that the suit "attempted to disrupt an ongoing election". The closure leaves the department with no court order touching a 2026 California ballot.

Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Editorial standards.