# South Carolina Senate tightens

News · Heat 9.8 / 10 · 6 shows · 28m airtime

South Carolina Senate polling through October 18, 2026 put Darlene Graham at 49 and Andrews at 46, a three-point lead in the race for the seat Graham holds after the death of Senator Graham and a special election. A New York Times poll has since put the race tied at 48. The discussion treats the contest as closer than a ruby-red state should allow, with the earlier read still favoring Republicans.

Page: https://boilpoints.com/point/south_carolina_senate_tightens_141943974

## Segments

- [Ruthless Podcast](https://boilpoints.com/u/ruthlesspodcast), 2026-10-28, 28:06 to 31:29: **Tracks Graham's lead narrowing to three**. Walks the South Carolina Senate polling graphic: Graham's lead trimmed from four points to three between October 8 and October 18, with Andrews gaining a point. Frames it against Lindsey Graham's old tight races and the special election after Senator Graham's death, and reads Kalshi's 76 percent as still safe. New angle: South Carolina Senate polling through October 18 had Graham at 49 and Andrews at 46, a three-point lead.
- [The Bulwark Daily](https://boilpoints.com/u/thebulwarkdaily), 2026-10-28, 7:21 to 13:10: **Adds a tied South Carolina poll to the map**. Walks the Senate map to a 52-seat Democratic mode and lands on a new New York Times poll showing South Carolina tied at 48, a shift from the three-point Graham lead on the record. Notes Andrews's 48 would be the best Democratic Senate showing in the state this century. New angle: A New York Times poll had the South Carolina Senate race tied at 48.
- [The Megyn Kelly Show](https://boilpoints.com/u/themegynkellyshow), 2026-10-28, 1:25:16 to 1:32:01: **Walks through the Times poll tightening South Carolina**. Halperin walks through the New York Times poll that put Andrews level with Graham in South Carolina, calling Graham a weak candidate and Trump's pick the reason she is on the ballot. Stays inside the tie already on the record, adding only Kalshi movement and the coming Trump visit.
- [Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar](https://boilpoints.com/u/breakingpointswithkrystalandsaagar), 2026-10-29, 11:07 to 15:23: **Recaps the Times poll showing a tied race**. Recaps the New York Times poll putting the South Carolina Senate race tied at 48 and works through why: a Democratic wave, Graham's weak candidate profile, Black turnout possibly tied to the majority-Black districts ruling, and her primary-opponent problem in the Greenville-Spartanburg area. Stays inside the poll already on the record.
- [Pod Save America](https://boilpoints.com/u/podsaveamerica), 2026-10-30, 14:22 to 19:52: **Close-reads the tied South Carolina poll**. Walks the Times-Siena internals: Graham's net-negative favorability, Andrews's edge with independents and on experience, and the black-turnout math. The tied 48-48 headline is already on the record; this is a close read of the same poll.
- [The Rest Is Politics: US](https://boilpoints.com/u/therestispoliticsus), 2026-10-30, 17:16 to 19:22: **Predicts Graham holds South Carolina**. Brief segment on South Carolina between other races: the hosts predict Graham holds the seat on the strength of the Graham name, and sketch what bicameral investigations would mean if Democrats sweep. Prediction and framing, no new reporting.