South Carolina Senate Shifts To Toss-Up

What happened

Updated Oct 29, 4:54pm ET

Fox News moved South Carolina’s Senate race from Lean Republican to Toss-up, citing new polling that showed Republican Sen. Darline Graham and Democratic challenger Annie Andrews tied at 48%. Graham was appointed by Republican Gov. Henry McMaster after her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, died in July, then won the nomination with President Donald Trump’s endorsement. South Carolina has not elected a Democratic senator since 1998, and Trump carried it by nearly 18 points in 2024. Trump is returning to rally for Graham as Republican groups spend heavily. Critics in the party say the nomination divided Republicans. Voters choose between Graham and Andrews on Nov. 3.

How the left told it

Left-leaning outlets cast the shift as a sign that a Republican stronghold had become a real GOP problem. Mediaite framed the move as deep-red South Carolina slipping out of the party’s comfort zone. MS NOW emphasized Republican frustration that Trump’s role forced a costly rescue. The Guardian focused on Graham’s inexperience and Andrews’s cross-party appeal.

How the right told it

Right-leaning outlets treated the race as a warning for Republicans, with sharper attention to party damage. Fox News presented the contest as uncomfortably close for a seat Republicans expected to defend more easily. Patriot Post pointed to Trump’s primary intervention as a source of fracture. Breitbart highlighted Nancy Mace’s concern about down-ballot harm while casting Andrews as beatable.