South Carolina Senate race tightens after Lindsey Graham’s death

Republican Sen. Darline Graham is facing a more competitive-than-expected challenge from Democrat Annie Andrews in South Carolina, as voters decide who will hold the seat once held by Graham’s late brother, Lindsey Graham. Reports and polling discussed before Election Day pointed to a close contest, but did not establish a winner. Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Darline Graham to serve the remainder of her brother’s term after he died in July. She later won the Republican nomination and is seeking a full six-year term. Andrews, a pediatrician who had already won the Democratic primary, entered the general election campaign more than a year before Lindsey Graham’s death. A New York Times-Siena poll conducted in October appeared to show the candidates close among likely voters. Cook Political Report’s assessment also shifted during the campaign, from Solid Republican in August to Likely Republican and then Lean Republican on October 20. Those measures reflected forecasts and polling, not election results. The changed race disrupted expectations in a state where Republicans have held both U.S. Senate seats since 2003. The last Democrat elected to a South Carolina Senate seat was...