Darline Graham Loses South Carolina Senate Seat as Democratic Wave Grows

Darline Graham lost South Carolina's Senate seat to Democrat Annie Andrews as Republicans face a rout in the midterms.

Graham jumped to the spotlight after her brother, Lindsey, passed away earlier this year while seeking his fifth term in office.

Republican Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Darline Graham to replace him given their close relationship. President Donald Trump later endorsed her to become the party's nominee for the midterms, even campaigning for her in the weeks before the election.

However, voters largely soured on the president and his party when heading to the polls, with the cost of living topping the list of concerns in most polls.

Andrews focused on economic problems in the state, portraying Graham as similar to her brother, part of a Washington establishment that does not care about the reality of people in South Carolina. She will now be the first Democrat to represent the state in the Senate since 1998.

Democrats are expected to flip several key seats and retake control of the Senate.. The first member of the party to do so was North Carolina's former Gov. Roy Cooper, who defeated Michael Whatley.

It is the first time a Democrat wins a seat in the state since 2008. Cooper will succeed retiring Sen. Thom Tillis, who has been increasingly critical of President Donald Trump since announcing he wouldn't seek re-election.

NBC News detailed that the race initially appeared to be contested, but Cooper began amassing a solid lead in the polls during the last weeks of the campaign, leading a top Republican super PAC to cancel ad spending to focus on other races.

The elections increasingly became a referendum on Trump's administration as higher prices, largely a result of the war in Iran, dominated the public conversation and voters' concerns.

A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found that the cost of living was the top issue for 48 percent of respondents. The poll aligns with other surveys that found the economy and the cost of living among voters' top issues. According to the Pew Research Center, 84 percent of voters said the economy was a very important issue heading into the election. As an issue, the economy is up five points in terms of importance to voters compared with what Pew found in the lead-up to the 2022 midterm elections.

Moreover, 49 percent of people said their household finances have gotten worse since Trump returned to office. Only 13 percent said things had improved and another 37 percent said things had stayed about the same.

The war with Iran is another key issue for voters, according to Reuters, is the war with Iran. Only 25 percent of respondents said the war was worth it, while 55 percent said it was not. Another 18 percent were unsure.