SC Senate rivals trade blows over Iran war, AI and qualifications in sole debate

Three months to the day after Sen. Lindsey Graham died unexpectedly, his sister stood on a debate stage in Columbia, South Carolina, and faced the sharpest test yet of whether she can hold the seat he left behind. Sunday night's forum — the only one currently scheduled in the race — was contentious from the first exchange, with Republican Sen. Darline Graham and Democratic challenger Annie Andrews going after each other on the Iran war, artificial intelligence, Social Security and, above all, each other's basic qualifications.

The race to fill Lindsey Graham's seat for a full six-year term has grown unexpectedly competitive in a ruby-red state where President Trump remains popular among Republican voters. The top Senate Republican super PAC has pledged $5 million to shore up Darline Graham's campaign — a move that itself signaled concern. The winner will make history as the first female senator elected from South Carolina. Libertarian Kasie Whitener also participated in Sunday's debate, hosted by South Carolina ETV in Columbia.

Andrews, a pediatrician, arrived with a clear strategic goal: portray Graham as an inexperienced political insider who refuses to challenge Trump. She called Graham 'the White House's ambassador to South Carolina' and returned repeatedly to an embarrassing moment from a GOP primary runoff debate in which Graham said 'national security is not my thing.'

If your surgeon said that appendectomies aren't really his thing, would you still hand him a scalpel? No. So why would we hand Darline Graham a full term in the US Senate? She is unserious and unqualified.— Annie Andrews, Democratic candidate

Graham, who previously led a state agency before being appointed to the Senate by Trump, came out swinging in return, calling Andrews 'the most radical liberal that's ever run for state office in South Carolina' in her very first answer, according to NBC News. She accused Andrews of supporting government-run healthcare, pointed to her past work on gun control, and attacked her for opposing Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill.' Graham also sought to tie Andrews to the Democratic Socialists of America.

Annie Andrews will not stand up to the Socialist Democratic Party; she's only going to join them.— Darline Graham, Republican senator

Andrews had a ready answer for the socialist label — and used it to land a jab of her own. She noted that Graham had opted not to use her married name, Darline Graham Nordone, when she was appointed senator.

She's been told to come out here and call me Bernie Ocasio Mamdani; that's what's in her script. But the truth is: My name is Annie Andrews, and there shouldn't be any confusion about that because, unlike my opponent, I haven't changed my name recently.— Annie Andrews, Democratic candidate

My legal name is Graham and has always been Graham. And you know why it's Graham? Because I lost my parents when I was a little girl, and I kept the name Graham so that I felt connected to them.— Darline Graham, Republican senator

Andrews also worked to distance herself from the left, telling viewers that 'both parties have failed on immigration' and that 'Democrats have failed on the border.' She said she supports the Second Amendment, favors a secure border, and would deport immigrants who break the law — a deliberate effort to occupy centrist ground in a state Trump carried comfortably.

The Iran war produced some of the debate's sharpest exchanges. Andrews blamed the conflict directly for record-high gas and diesel prices and hammered Graham for voting three times against war powers resolutions that would have restricted Trump's prosecution of the war.

The war is the exact reason we now have record-high gas and diesel prices. Farmers are getting crushed, and everything costs more. My opponent is the only one who had the opportunity to vote to end the war, but three times in a row she voted to continue it.— Annie Andrews, Democratic candidate

Graham said she wants the war to end but believes in 'peace through strength.' She also claimed Iran had been close to obtaining a nuclear weapon before the US and Israel launched the war — a claim that, according to CNN, does not appear to be backed up by known US intelligence assessments.

On artificial intelligence and data centers — a flash point in midterm races across the country — Andrews proposed a two-year moratorium on new construction, rate protections for consumers, and a return to local control, earning herself the nickname 'Data Center Darline' from Graham. Graham countered that a two-year pause would hand China a decisive lead in the global AI race and said she had voted for the Ratepayer Protection Act, which aims to shift higher energy costs from data centers onto AI companies rather than consumers.

Under her Bernie Sanders plan, a two-year moratorium, that is dangerous to the national security of our country, because in two years China is going to be so far ahead [that] we are going to be in so much trouble.— Darline Graham, Republican senator

Social Security produced another sharp exchange. Andrews said she would raise income caps so wealthier Americans pay more into the system but would not raise the retirement age, and accused Republicans of wanting to privatize it for 'Washington insiders.' Graham, who said Social Security benefits helped her and her brother survive after their parents died young, defended Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill' for lowering taxes on tips and Social Security income.

On gas prices, Graham acknowledged they are 'high right now' and said she supports suspending the gas tax and easing drilling regulations. Andrews blamed the prices on the Iran war and on Graham's votes to continue it.

Transgender issues, which have been central to the race — Trump posted on social media using an anti-transgender slur for Andrews last week, and Andrews responded with a direct-to-camera ad — barely registered in the debate itself. Graham raised the subject twice, both times briefly at the end of an answer before the debate moved on. The moderator cut off her final attempt to address it at the very close of the night, according to CNN, which noted the outcome was a relative win for Andrews, who did not have to address her 2022 social media comments calling a state law banning transgender athletes from girls' and women's sports teams 'shameful.'

For Graham, the evening's primary task was avoiding a repeat of her primary stumble. By that measure, CNN assessed she largely succeeded — she came across as more capable than before, even if she paused awkwardly at times and struggled to make some attack lines land. The race remains competitive ahead of election day.

Why it matters — South Carolina, reliably Republican for decades, has become one of the most watched Senate races of the 2026 midterms, and Sunday's debate was likely the only televised head-to-head before voters decide who will be the state's first elected female senator.

Sources differ on Darline Graham's legal name: Andrews implied Graham changed her name by not using her married name Darline Graham Nordone when appointed senator. (cnn.com) vs Graham said her legal name has always been Graham, which she kept after her parents died when she was a child. (cnn.com)

Reported by thehill.com, nbcnews.com, cnn.com