This SC pediatrician ran for Congress in 2022. Now she wants to oust Sen. Graham

Yahoo

5 days ago

Annie Andrews, a pediatrician who unsuccessfully challenged a Republican congresswoman in the 2022 election, is making another run at public office.
Andrews on Thursday jumped into the race for U.S senate as she seeks the Democratic nomination in South Carolina to take on Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham in the general election.
In 2022, Andrews ran for Congress in the Lowcountry district that includes Charleston County and lost to U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, a potential 2026 Republican candidate for governor, by nearly 14 points. But Andrews has remained politically active.
'I'm focused on fighting for the same things I was fighting for in 2022 because I know that South Carolinians deserve better,' Andrews said. 'I know that we deserve access to quality, affordable health care, that every child in South Carolina deserves a quality public education, that when families are juggling multiple jobs just to make ends meet there's got to be more that we can do for them.'
Andrews is the founder and CEO of the Their Future PAC, which is 'The first & only PAC dedicated to putting Kids First.'
She also posts videos on social media that mock and criticize Republicans. The videos allow her to show off her personality and connect with voters.
'What you see on my social media is me telling folks what I believe in, giving people a sense that someone is fighting for them, to bring some levity to this urgent moment we find ourselves in as a country, but it's also a way to meet people where they are,' Andrews said in an interview with The State.
Whoever wins the Democratic nomination will face a steep uphill battle against Graham, who is the overwhelming favorite to win the Republican nomination in a reliably red state.
'The more effective you are in helping enact President Trump's agenda, the more Democrats want to take you down,' Graham Campaign Manager Mark Knoop said in a statement. 'While Dr. Andrews pushes a radical liberal agenda that is out of touch with South Carolina, Senator Graham has always stood firm for conservative values - cutting taxes, securing the border, protecting the right to life, defending the 2nd Amendment, and confirming conservative judges to protect our freedoms.'
Andrews is building a campaign team that is familiar with running against Graham.
Her campaign team includes veterans from Jaime Harrison's 2020 campaign, which raised $130 million in its bid to oust Graham. Joshua Karp, who served as Harrison's communications strategist, and Zack Carroll, who served as Harrison's campaign manager, both are serving as advisors on Andrews' campaign. Scott Harriford, who served as Joe Biden's campaign in South Carolina will serve as general consultant and Renee Harvey will serve as a General and Finance Consultant.
'I'm confident that, again, we will have the resources that we need to to compete and to win this election,' Andrews said.
Whoever runs against Graham, who already has President Donald Trump's endorsement, in the general election will potentially be in one of the more high-profile statewide races in the 2026 elections.
Graham's race in 2020 led to more than $200 million in spending and at the time set the record for the most expensive U.S. Senate race in history. Most of the money raised in the race came from out of state as polling indicated Graham, who is a high-profile senator across the country, would be in trouble. Graham won by 10 points over Harrison.
'That was at the height of the COVID pandemic, and that really impacted their ability to have any sort of a ground game. And you can't win an election in South Carolina if you can't knock on doors,' Andrews said.
In this election, Trump won't be on the ballot and the party that controls the White House generally sees losses during midterm elections.
Without a pandemic limiting how people campaign, a charismatic candidate could help energize base Democratic voters and help down ballot candidates to help flip state House seats, all of which are up for election in 2026.
'I absolutely believe that by running the campaign that I know that I will run it will energize Democrats across the state, which will certainly have benefits down ballot,' Andrews said.
Andrews works part time as a pediatrician in Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C., but lives in Charleston.
So far Democrats Kyle Freeman, of Columbia, and Catherine Bruce Fleming, have filed with the FEC, but to raise money for a campaign. Upstate businessman and engineer Lee Johnson also has announced a campaign for the U.S. Senate. Johnson also has built a campaign apparatus, which includes operative Jacob Gamble working as communications director.