South Carolina senator-elect Annie Andrews campaigned this fall as a candidate for Republicans and independents as much as Democrats, but a trail of her past social media posts shows a far more combative relationship with the GOP than her campaign messaging suggested.
Andrews, a Democrat who defeated Republican Sen. Darline Graham in a state President Donald Trump carried by roughly 18 points, used her campaign to court moderate and conservative voters. At an October town hall billed as “Republicans and Independents for Annie,” she told attendees the race was about people worried over bills, rural hospitals and government integrity more than party labels, and she repeatedly pledged to work across the aisle.
But posts from before her Senate run paint a sharper partisan picture. In August 2024, reacting to online mockery of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s son, Andrews wrote that the Republican Party “needs to be lit on fire & thrown in the dumpster & plunged into the deepest depths of the ocean never to be seen again.”
In another post aimed at Sen. JD Vance, she wrote: “Herpes is forever. JD Vance doesn’t have to be.” She also mocked GOP Sen. Katie Britt over a White House appearance, writing, “Wow they let you out of the kitchen. Congrats” — a jab referencing traditional homemaking roles.
On transgender issues, Andrews was outspoken well before entering politics. In 2023 she posted, “The T in LGBTQ+ stands for TRANSGENDER. If you don’t support trans people, keep your cute pride post in your draft tweets, be better, and try again next year.” Around the same time she wrote, “Periodic reminder that I support trans kids because I am not an a–hole.”
Those positions contrast with how Andrews framed herself during the campaign, when she released an ad distancing herself from support for biological men competing in women’s sports. National Republican Senatorial Committee advisor Nathan Brand responded to that ad in October, writing on social media: “Annie Andrews launched her political career fighting for her trans agenda … dozens of comments and tweets advocating for dudes in girls’ sports, procedures on minors, and more. Now she is walking it ALL back.”
Andrews also previously expressed support for abortion access, drag queen story hours and stricter firearm restrictions, including reposting a message that described semi-automatic rifles as “weapons of war.”
Independent journalist Zaid Jilani noted after the posts resurfaced that national Republicans had focused their resources elsewhere during the race, writing on X that “Republicans spent all their money trying to defeat Abdul and hired zero opposition researchers on Annie.”
Republicans nationally leaned heavily into transgender-related issues during the 2026 cycle, including bans on sex-change procedures for minors and restrictions on biological men in women’s sports. That strategy did not stop the GOP from losing several seats considered safe, including South Carolina’s, though related ballot measures did pass in some Democratic-leaning states.
The Andrews campaign did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Monday.
