South Carolina's Senate Race Is Suddenly Close: Five Things Deciding Darline Graham vs. Annie Andrews
One new poll has the race tied at 48%. Two others show Sen. Darline Graham narrowly ahead. In a state Trump won by nearly 18 points, here is what will settle a contest Republicans never expected to sweat.
By Clara Hughes
South Carolina has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since Fritz Hollings won his last term in 1998. Five days before Election Day, Republicans are working to keep it that way, and the polls say they will have to work for it. A New York Times/Siena College survey released October 28 found Republican Sen. Darline Graham and Democrat Annie Andrews tied at 48% among likely voters. Siena's Don Levy said Graham "leads by less than one point." Two other South Carolina polls released this week show Graham ahead by a narrow margin. The University of Virginia's Sabato's Crystal Ball has moved the race twice this month, according to USA Today: from Safe Republican to Likely Republican on October 6, and to Lean Republican on October 27. Here are the five things deciding it. 1. A new senator in an unusual year Darline Graham was appointed to the Senate by Gov. Henry McMaster in July after the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, who represented South Carolina in the Senate from 2003 and in the U.S. House from 1995 to 2003. In announcing the appointment, McMaster's office noted that she is the first