Pediatrician Annie Andrews Takes Aim at Lindsey Graham in South Carolina Senate Race

In a bold move that’s shaking up South Carolina’s political scene, pediatrician Dr. Annie Andrews has thrown her hat into the ring to challenge Sen. Lindsey Graham for his Senate seat. Known for her no-nonsense approach, Andrews, who previously ran against Rep. Nancy Mace in 2022 and lost by 14 points, kicked off her campaign with a fiery ad that doesn’t mince words. Dressed in scrubs, surrounded by young patients, she calls out Graham with a bluntness that’s turning heads, accusing him of being, well, less than truthful.

Andrews, a South Carolina native with nearly 20 years of experience caring for kids, uses her medical expertise to draw sharp contrasts. In her campaign ad, she points to X-rays of children battling preventable diseases, underfunded cancer research, and gun violence—issues she argues are being ignored. Then, in a cheeky twist, she shows an X-ray of a child with constipation, quipping that Graham is similarly full of it, followed by clips highlighting his flip-flopping statements on President Donald Trump. Once a vocal Trump critic, calling him a “kook,” Graham has since become one of his staunchest allies. Andrews calls it embarrassing, declaring, “South Carolina deserves better.”

Her ad doesn’t stop at Graham. She takes aim at Trump’s inner circle, from Elon Musk’s influence on social programs to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s health policies and Linda McMahon’s education plans, accusing Graham of enabling them through Senate confirmations. With a dramatic head-bang on a table, she sighs, “It’s a lot.” Andrews also critiques Graham’s support for tax cuts favoring the wealthy, tying it to broader economic concerns like tariffs hurting South Carolina’s ports and auto industry.

Graham’s camp fired back, with campaign manager Mark Knoop defending the senator’s conservative record—tax cuts, border security, and Second Amendment rights. He dismissed Andrews’ campaign as a “radical liberal agenda” out of touch with South Carolinians. But Andrews, a self-described busy mom who loves Bluey and shuttles her kids to dance and taekwondo, brushes off the “radical” label. “I’m just a pediatrician who plays peek-a-boo with patients,” she says, emphasizing her relatability while vowing to fight for practical solutions over culture wars.

Andrews, who spent 15 years at the Medical University of South Carolina and now works part-time at Children’s National Hospital in D.C., wants to make the child tax credit permanent and address failing schools, closing hospitals, and the climate crisis. She argues Graham, now 69 and a senator for over two decades, has lost touch with the state’s needs. “Most senators don’t get better with age,” she quips. With South Carolina’s changing political landscape, Andrews is betting on a groundswell of support to unseat a longtime incumbent. Will her blend of humor, heart, and hard-hitting critiques resonate? Only time will tell.