Annie Andrews, a Democrat and pediatrician from Charleston, is running for U.S. Senate in South Carolina. The general election is Nov. 3, 2026. She faces Republican Darline Graham, Libertarian Kasie Whitener and Constitution Party candidate Mark Hackett.

Asked why she is running, Andrews said in our candidate questionnaire: "I'm running to protect and expand access to health care, lower costs for working families, and take on the corruption that has left too many South Carolinians feeling ignored … I'm not a career politician, I'm a pediatrician and a mom of three children enrolled in Charleston public schools."

Candidate information

Party affiliation: "Independent-minded Democrat," Andrews said in our questionnaire.

Residence: Charleston, South Carolina

Family: Three children

Education: Andrews listed her education in our questionnaire as: "Bachelor of Science, Pre-Medicine, University of Dayton," "M.D., University of Cincinnati College of Medicine," "Pediatric Residency: Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center" and "Master of Science in Clinical Research, Medical University of South Carolina."

Occupation: "I'm a pediatrician and mom. I've spent nearly 20 years caring for children in hospitals, including almost 15 years as a Pediatric Hospitalist at the Medical University of South Carolina," Andrews said in our questionnaire.

Previous elected office: None, according to Andrews.

Endorsements: EMILYs List and AFL-CIO, according to EMILYs List and BallotReady profile data.

Experience and public service

Andrews has served as associate professor of pediatrics at the Medical University of South Carolina since 2009, according to BallotReady. She ran as the Democratic candidate for U.S. House in South Carolina's 1st Congressional District in 2022, according to The 19th.

On the issues

Top priority: Asked to name the single most important issue for the Senate, Andrews said in our questionnaire: "The single most important issue is lowering costs for South Carolina families … And that starts with stopping the impending Medicaid cuts. Medicaid is the largest insurer of children in South Carolina, covers half of all births, and helps fund the majority of nursing home beds."

Health care for children: "I will fight for the reversal of Medicaid budget cuts and advocate for Medicaid expansion in South Carolina. Expanding Medicaid is a no brainer. It would take advantage of federal funding that is already available to us, bring $7.2 billion into the state, and cover 360,000 more South Carolinians," Andrews said in our questionnaire.

Economy and cost of living: Andrews said in our questionnaire that her proposal includes "expanding housing accessibility, strengthening child care infrastructure to support working parents, driving down gas and grocery bills, and equipping local communities with the regulatory firepower to push back against unchecked corporate data centers from driving up our energy bills."

Federal spending: "I support making no tax on tips and social security permanent, and I oppose tax increases on families making less than $500,00 [sic] annually," Andrews said in our questionnaire. She also called for "ending taxpayer-funded pensions and health care subsidies for members of Congress" and imposing term limits.

Immigration: "I strongly support securing our borders and legal entry into our country. We can hold people accountable to the law while also treating them with human dignity and fair due process," Andrews said in our questionnaire.

Iran and foreign policy: Asked about U.S. military involvement in Iran, Andrews said in our questionnaire: "I will fight to end this unauthorized war, reassert Congress's constitutional responsibility over matters of war and peace, and stop asking working families to pay the price for failed foreign policy."

Guns: "I support the 2nd Amendment and will work to protect that right. 86% of South Carolina voters support universal background checks," Andrews said in our questionnaire.

Candidate responses were collected through the Fort Mill-Tega Cay Times questionnaire. Answers are presented in the candidate's own words.