GOP rushes $5 MILLION in desperate bid to save Darline Graham’s Senate race as Trump hit with backlash for new ‘trannie’ nickname
Republicans are desperate to save the US Senate seat in South Carolina formerly held by the late Lindsey Graham.
The party has allocated an additional $5 million in South Carolina to spend on behalf of Darline Graham, Lindsey’s sister, who was appointed to fill his seat after his sudden death in July.
Although some expected her to fill the seat on an interim basis, Darline went on to win the primary runoff.
The influx of cash to Graham is being sent as an ‘insurance policy,’ per Axios, to keep a seat in Republicans’ hands that Lindsey had always won by more than 10 percent.
An InsiderAdvantage poll conducted at the end of September had Graham up by only one point.
President Donald Trump is backing Darline wholeheartedly and has unleashed a shocking new nickname for the Democrat battling her in the Palmetto State – ‘Trannie Annie.’
He also held a rally for Darline in recent weeks and has pledged to return before the general election.
On Monday, Trump used a transgender slur to tear into South Carolina physician and Democratic nominee Annie Andrews in a blistering Truth Social post while throwing his weight behind Darline.
Trump dubbed the Charleston doctor ‘Annie ‘Trannie’ Andrews’ – using a derogatory term for transgender people despite Andrews not being transgender.
David Beasley, a former Republican governor of South Carolina, called Trump’s remarks ‘abhorrent’ in a post on X.
‘Elections don’t have to be about cruelty and lies. South Carolina deserves better,’ he said, while encouraging voters to ‘reject politics based on division and hate.’
President Donald Trump and Senator Darline Graham attend a campaign rally on August 21, 2026, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Dr. Annie Andrews, the Democrat running for South Carolina’s Senate seat, was nicknamed ‘trannie’ by President Donald Trump
Trump hailed Graham as a ‘High Quality person, maybe the Highest,’ in his Monday night Truth post, before claiming her Democratic rival was anything but.
Trump accused Andrews of backing ‘Transgender for Everyone, Open Borders, Defunding the Police, High Taxes, a Weak Military,’ and efforts to strip Americans of their guns.
‘Trannie is not for South Carolina, and South Carolina must show, in the upcoming Election, that it is not for her. VOTE FOR DARLINE GRAHAM,’ Trump declared.
Andrews fired back by steering the fight toward kitchen-table issues and her experience as a mother and pediatrician.
In an interview with Forbes, Andrews noted last month that she didn’t ‘support biological men playing in women’s sports,’ and added that she doesn’t ‘support, and has never performed gender surgery on minors.’
‘As a mom and a pediatrician, I’m in this race to fight for my patients, my three kids, and South Carolina,’ Andrews told the Daily Mail.
‘And I’m going to work with anyone to put South Carolina first, because lowering costs and making life better for families across our state is going to take all of us working together. If you care more about your bills than the politics in Washington, this campaign is for you.’
Andrews cruised through the Democratic primary in June after launching her campaign to take on Lindsey Graham. His death dramatically reshaped the contest and forced her to pivot toward the Republicans scrambling to succeed him.
Trump called Andrews ‘trannie’ in a Monday night post on Truth Social
Darline Graham ultimately emerged victorious, defeating Congressman Ralph Norman in an August runoff after the pair topped a sprawling 10-way Republican primary.
Governor Henry McMaster appointed Graham to finish her brother’s term, while Trump urged her to run for the seat outright, swiftly endorsed her and hit the campaign trail for her in South Carolina last week.
Democrats still face a daunting climb as South Carolina has not sent a Democrat to the Senate since 1956.
However, Andrews is among a crop of Democrats showing surprising signs of life in deep-red territory as Republicans grow increasingly nervous about the midterms.
GOP insiders fear soaring energy costs could punish the party at the ballot box and jeopardize its congressional majorities.
Still, GOP groups are flush with cash and outspending Democrats by millions in several races, with huge advertising advantages in states including Ohio, Texas, Iowa, Alaska and Kansas, according to AdImpact.
Trump, meanwhile, has brushed aside his sagging approval ratings as ‘fake,’ insisting he could beat anyone running against him today by 20 points and accusing pollsters of being ‘almost as corrupt as the writers.’
