U.S. Senate · South Carolina

Statewide, South Carolina

General election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

✓ Fact-checked 2026-09-25: 22 claims re-checked against their sources

A second, independent research pass re-opened every cited source for this race and corrected or removed anything the source didn’t support.

Verified the full special-election narrative (Lindsey Graham's primary win, death July 11, 2026, McMaster's July 13 appointment of Darline Graham, and the Aug 11 special primary/Aug 25 runoff, which Darline Graham won 52.6%-47.4% over Ralph Norman) against Ballotpedia; all facts and dates matched exactly.
Verified Andrews's primary margin (61.5%-30.2%-8.3%), Whitener's Libertarian convention win, Darline Graham's and Whitener's bios, and the full 9-candidate general-election slate (plus the excluded write-in) against Ballotpedia; no discrepancies found.

This election fills the Class II Senate seat formerly held by Lindsey Graham (R), who won renomination in the June 9, 2026 Republican primary and died on July 11, 2026. Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Graham's sister, Darline Graham, to the seat on July 13, 2026. A special Republican primary (August 11) and runoff (August 25) were held to select the party's replacement nominee; Darline Graham won that runoff and appears on the November 3 general-election ballot.[1]
Annie Andrews won the Democratic primary on June 9, 2026 with 61.5% of the vote, defeating Brandon Brown and Kyle Freeman.[1]
Kasie Whitener won the Libertarian Party's nominating convention on April 11, 2026.[1]

On the ballot · 9 candidates

Darline GrahamRINCUMBENTU.S. Senator (appointed July 2026)

Raised $347K · spent $95K · $251K cash on hand (through 2026-08-05) FEC filing ↗

Annie AndrewsD

Raised $10.8M · spent $6.7M · $4.1M cash on hand (through 2026-06-30) FEC filing ↗

Mark HackettConstitution Party Kasie WhitenerLIBAssistant professor; former Libertarian Party of South Carolina Chair

Raised $17K · spent $15K · $2,607 cash on hand (through 2026-06-30) FEC filing ↗

Jack EllisonIND Cindy GlaserIND Paul SedletskyIND Edward StrungeIND Reece Wright-McDonaldIND

The candidates, in full

Darline Graham

RINCUMBENTU.S. Senator (appointed July 2026)

Won the special Republican primary runoff (Aug. 25, 2026) to become the general-election nominee after Lindsey Graham's death

Darline Graham was appointed to the U.S. Senate by Gov. Henry McMaster on July 13, 2026 to succeed her brother, Lindsey Graham, who died in office. She is running to complete the remainder of the term.[2]

Little public record found for this candidate.

Background

Born in Central, South Carolina. Earned a bachelor's degree from the College of Charleston (1989) and a graduate degree from South Carolina State University (2009).[2]
Worked as a vocational rehabilitation counselor, served as a commissioner with the South Carolina Commission for the Blind, and worked with the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce.[2]

Campaign money

Raised $347K · spent $95K · $251K cash on hand (through 2026-08-05) FEC filing ↗

Shareable profile page

Annie Andrews

Won the June 9, 2026 Democratic primary with 61.5% of the vote

Annie Andrews is a pediatrician running for U.S. Senate as the Democratic nominee.[3][5]

Little public record found for this candidate.

Campaign money

Raised $10.8M · spent $6.7M · $4.1M cash on hand (through 2026-06-30) FEC filing ↗

Campaign website ↗Shareable profile page

Mark Hackett

Constitution Party

Mark Hackett is the Constitution Party candidate on the November 3, 2026 general-election ballot for U.S. Senate.[1]

Little public record found for this candidate.

Shareable profile page

Kasie Whitener

LIBAssistant professor; former Libertarian Party of South Carolina Chair

Won the Libertarian Party of South Carolina's nominating convention on April 11, 2026

Kasie Whitener is an assistant professor and former chair of the Libertarian Party of South Carolina, running as the party's 2026 U.S. Senate nominee.[4]

Little public record found for this candidate.

Background

Bachelor's degree from Clemson University (1999), a graduate degree from Winthrop University (2004), and a Ph.D. from Capella University (2014). Born in Florence, SC.[4]

Campaign money

Raised $17K · spent $15K · $2,607 cash on hand (through 2026-06-30) FEC filing ↗

Campaign website ↗Shareable profile page

Jack Ellison

IND

Jack Ellison is an independent candidate on the November 3, 2026 general-election ballot for U.S. Senate.[1]

Little public record found for this candidate.

Shareable profile page

Cindy Glaser

IND

Cindy Glaser is an independent candidate on the November 3, 2026 general-election ballot for U.S. Senate.[1]

Little public record found for this candidate.

Shareable profile page

Paul Sedletsky

IND

Paul Sedletsky is an independent candidate on the November 3, 2026 general-election ballot for U.S. Senate.[1]

Little public record found for this candidate.

Shareable profile page

Edward Strunge

IND

Edward Strunge is an independent candidate on the November 3, 2026 general-election ballot for U.S. Senate.[1]

Little public record found for this candidate.

Shareable profile page

Reece Wright-McDonald

IND

Reece Wright-McDonald is an independent candidate on the November 3, 2026 general-election ballot for U.S. Senate.[1]

Little public record found for this candidate.

Shareable profile page

Research notes & limits

Basic-tier research. Darline Graham was appointed to this seat in July 2026 after Lindsey Graham's death; her federal key-vote and FEC data (if added later by script) will reflect only her short tenure. This slate and the Graham appointment/death were independently confirmed against Wikipedia, CBS News, and the official senate.gov senator roster (which lists 'Graham, Darline' for South Carolina, Class II), since the sole cited source was Ballotpedia. Andrews's summary originally called her a 'Charleston pediatrician' citing only her Ballotpedia page, which does not state her profession; corrected to cite her campaign website, which confirms she is a pediatrician (no independent confirmation that she practices in Charleston specifically, so that detail was dropped). Several independent candidates on the ballot have no discoverable public record beyond their ballot listing; a Democratic write-in candidate (Catherine Fleming Bruce) is not included per the write-in exclusion in the research standard's ballot scope.

Sources · 5

Researched 2026-09-25. Green citations are official government records.

1.United States Senate election in South Carolina, 2026 · Ballotpedia Reference
2.Darline Graham · Ballotpedia Reference
3.Annie Andrews · Ballotpedia Reference
4.Kasie Whitener · Ballotpedia Reference
5.Dr. Annie Andrews for U.S. Senate · Annie Andrews campaign Candidate's own words