Election 2026: South Carolina Senate

South Carolina Republican Sen. Darline Graham leads Democratic challenger Annie Andrews in the contest for the seat formerly held by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that, if the election were held today, 48% of Likely South Carolina voters would vote for Graham, while 43% would vote for Andrews. Nine percent (9%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Darline Graham was appointed by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster to fill her brother’s Senate seat after he died of a sudden heart attack in July; she won the GOP primary last month. Eighty-eight percent (88%) of Republicans would vote for Graham, as would 13% of Democrats and 33% of voters not affiliated with either major party. Andrews is supported by 84% of Democrats, nine percent (9%) of Republicans and 43% of unaffiliated voters. Twenty-three percent (23%) of unaffiliated South Carolina voters are undecided.

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The survey of 1,006 South Carolina Likely Voters was conducted on September 14, 2026 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Graham is supported by 59% of whites, 19% of black voters, 55% of Hispanics and 61% of other minorities, while 33% of whites, 72% of black voters, 41% of Hispanics and 26% of other minorities would vote for Andrews.

Graham leads by nine points (52% to 43%) among men, and leads by two points (45% to 43%) among women voters.

A majority of voters 50 and older favor Graham, while Andrews lead both among voters under 30 and those in their 40s.

Graham gets support from 85% of voters who identify as Very Conservative and 66% of those who are Somewhat Conservative. More than two-thirds of liberal voters and 58% of moderates favor Andrews.

A majority of South Carolina voters earning more than $50,000 a year would vote for Graham, while Andrews leads by an 11-point margin (49% to 38%) among those earning with annual incomes below $30,000.

Graham leads by 17 points among married voters, while Andrews has a seven-point advantage among unmarried voters.

Among those who voted for Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election, 74% would vote for Graham, while 80% of Kamala Harris voters favor Andrews.

Georgia’s Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff has a solid lead over Republican challenger Rep. Mike Collins, and may even be able to avoid a runoff.

Alaska’s incumbent Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan is tied with Democratic challenger Mary Peltola in a contest where ranked-choice voting will determine the winner with four names on the November ballot.

Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to Platinum Members only.

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