Dr Annie Andrews, a paediatrician and Democratic candidate for the US Senate in South Carolina, is pressing forward with her campaign despite the sudden death of incumbent Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and the appointment of his sister, Darline Graham, to fill his seat. Andrews, 45, had spent over a year building a grassroots campaign to unseat Graham, whom she never met, positioning herself as an outsider “powered by people, not PACs.”
New Opponent, Same Mission
Andrews learned of Graham’s death while dropping her youngest daughter off at summer camp. “It was shocking and unbelievable,” she said. “It’s a profound moment for the whole state of South Carolina.” Darline Graham was appointed to serve the remainder of her brother’s term and will compete in a Republican primary next month to determine the nominee for the November election. Despite the change, Andrews insists her focus remains unchanged: “The problems that South Carolinians are facing did not change over that weekend. My opponent will change but my mission remains the same.”
Healthcare as a Call to Action
Andrews’ mission was shaped by two decades on the frontlines of America’s “broken” public healthcare system, including 15 years at a children’s hospital in Charleston. She realised that the challenges faced by her patients were “policy problems” requiring systemic solutions. “What we needed to do was start electing people who inherently care about South Carolina’s kids and families,” she said. Her first political race—a 2022 congressional bid against Republican Nancy Mace—ended in a 14-point defeat. After that, she left her practice at the Medical University of South Carolina and founded a political organisation focused on climate, gun violence, and childhood poverty.
Trump’s Second Term and RFK Jr’s Nomination
The impetus for her Senate run came from concerns over President Donald Trump’s second term, particularly the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. “As a paediatrician, that’s the worst-case scenario for America’s public health system,” Andrews said. She described Kennedy as a “bad actor” who has spent decades promoting anti-vaccine conspiracy theories, eroding public trust in medical advice. “Twenty years ago, when I asked if immunisations were up to date, the answer was almost universally yes. Now I brace myself for the response,” she added.
Consequences of Anti-Vaccine Misinformation
The impact is stark: measles cases in the US have reached a 35-year high, according to Johns Hopkins University data, with over 90% of infections among the unvaccinated. Andrews noted that misinformation is “pervasive across sociodemographic groups,” and she now tells patients not to necessarily trust health information from the federal government. She believes the Covid-19 pandemic acted as “kerosene on the fire,” entrenching an anti-science movement within the Republican Party.
Policy Priorities: Medicaid, Gun Violence, and Reform
Andrews opposes impending Medicaid budget cuts signed by Trump, which she says threaten rural South Carolinians. She advocates defending Medicare, lowering drug prices through federal negotiation, and introducing a public option to force private insurers to compete. On gun violence, she speaks as a doctor who has “cared for children with bullet holes in them” and held parents’ hands after shootings. “These are preventable injuries, these are policy choices,” she said. While acknowledging gun control may not be a top voter issue in 2026, she noted that over 90% of Americans support universal background checks.
Broader Concerns and Structural Challenges
Andrews is alarmed by the “chaotic” economic and social policies of Trump’s second term, including high gas and grocery prices, an affordability crisis in housing and childcare, and a lack of jobs for graduates. She calls for ending partisan gerrymandering, implementing term limits, banning members of Congress from trading stocks, and overturning the Citizens United ruling to remove dark money from politics. She has built a statewide campaign with over 2,000 volunteers and recently gained the endorsement of Her Bold Move, a national support network for women candidates. However, South Carolina remains a Republican stronghold, with state elections often decided by double-digit margins. In 2020, Democrat Jaime Harrison raised over $100 million but lost to Lindsey Graham by 10 percentage points. Andrews acknowledges the uphill battle: “I’m used to fighting fights that are uphill battles. That does not make the fight any less important.”
