Senator Darline Graham and Dr. Annie Andrews faced off in a televised debate on Sunday evening. Dr. Andrews accused Ms. Graham of taking her cues from President Trump. Ms. Graham said Dr. Andrews wouldn't say no to socialists. Many voters watched as the candidates showed their sharp differences on policy.
Dr. Annie Andrews, the Democratic challenger, accused Senator Darline Graham of taking her cues from President Trump. Ms. Graham said Dr. Andrews wouldn't say no to socialists.
Senator Darline Graham, Republican of South Carolina, and Dr. Annie Andrews, a Democrat and pediatrician, faced off in a televised debate for the first time on Sunday evening in a Senate contest that polls show is surprisingly close for such a conservative state.
Ms. Graham, who was appointed to her seat over the summer after the death of her brother, Lindsey Graham, is under pressure to show voters that she is fluent with policy issues despite her limited experience. During her last appearance on a debate stage, she said she was "not that informed on national security," an answer that went viral online and called attention to what is perhaps her greatest vulnerability.
Dr. Andrews faces hurdles of her own, despite the favorable winds that both parties see blowing for Democrats this year: proving to voters that she can win a seat that a Democrat has not held this century. Last month, the Cook Political Report shifted the race from solidly Republican to likely Republican. In a state that President Trump carried just two years ago by more than 17 percentage points, the contest remains at the outer reaches of the Democratic Party's ambitions this year.
On Sunday, Ms. Graham repeated the same talking points and articulated few policy positions, doing little to ease concerns about her weaknesses but avoiding a major gaffe, unlike in her primary debate. Here are five takeaways from their debate.
What's worse: A 'socialist' or a senator beholden to the White House?
Ms. Graham set out to depict Dr. Andrews as a candidate who, if elected, would not "stand up to socialist Democrats" who "cheered in the streets of New York" over the Hamas-led attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Dr. Andrews called Ms. Graham the "White House's ambassador to South Carolina" who "considers the job to be to read their scripts and do their bidding," referring to her relationship with Mr. Trump.
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