Senate Democrats are making their first foray into South Carolina's Senate race, pouring $750,000 into digital advertising in a state that hasn't elected a Democrat to the Senate in over two decades. The move comes as recent polling shows the contest between Republican Sen. Darline Graham and Democrat Annie Andrews is far closer than expected in the deep-red state.
Senate Majority PAC (SMP), the primary Democratic super PAC in the midterms, confirmed the ad buy on Tuesday. Spokesperson Lauren French said the group will use the funds to "draw a sharp contrast between Andrews and Darline Graham, focusing on Graham raising health care costs and Rx drug prices." The digital campaign marks the first time the PAC has spent money in South Carolina this cycle.
The decision follows a wave of recent polling that shows the race within the margin of error. A New York Times/Siena College survey released last week gave both candidates 48 percent support among likely voters, a striking result in a state where Republicans have dominated for years.
Republicans have already poured more than $20 million into defending Graham, who was appointed to the seat after the death of her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham. The GOP spending spree includes heavy backing from national committees and allied super PACs, as well as multiple visits from former President Trump, who has made South Carolina a key stop in his final pre-election push.
Despite the lack of outside support until now, Andrews has proven to be a formidable fundraiser. Federal Election Commission filings show she has raised more than $20 million on her own, compared to Graham's $1.2 million. Her campaign has used that money to build a robust ground game and air ads across the state.
Graham's path to victory has been complicated by lingering divisions within the state's Republican Party. Rep. Ralph Norman, who lost to Graham in the primary, has said he will vote for her but has refused to campaign with her, going so far as to say his family would not support her. That fracture has given Democrats an opening, even as they acknowledge the state's historical lean.
"We know this is a tough state, but the polls are close and Annie is running a strong race," said a senior SMP official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss strategy. "We're going to give her the resources she needs to compete."
Democrats, however, have been burned before in South Carolina. In 2020, polls showed a close contest between Lindsey Graham and Democrat Jaime Harrison, but Graham won by 10 points. Nonpartisan election forecaster Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ) still gives Graham a 65 percent chance of winning a full term, suggesting that the race remains an uphill climb for Democrats.
The ad buy also signals a broader Democratic strategy to force Republicans to play defense in unexpected places, even as they focus on must-win races in states like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Whether the investment pays off in South Carolina remains to be seen, but it underscores the unsettled nature of the final stretch of the campaign.
